The announcement came on Monday morning, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews introducing new measures that give people more freedom to move.
Sanctioned trainings are off the cards if groups exceed 10 people, but with previous restrictions limiting group exercise to two people, these new measures mean players, particularly those involved in team sports, can more effectively train together ahead of sport resuming.
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Mr Andrews said people must continue to follow physical-distancing rules and basic hygiene measures when training.
“If you are sharing equipment, you should try to minimise that,” Mr Andrews said.
“But if it's unavoidable, given the nature of the sport, then you should hand sanitise, clean the equipment, all of those quite logical things.”
Other outside activities green-lit to return are golf, fishing, hunting, hiking and outside boot-camps (up to 10 people), though gyms will remain closed.
Golf proved to be a particularly contentious issue in the state, with Victoria the only state in Australia to ban the sport in the initial stages of its lockdown.
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And although golf courses are set to be re-opened, Mr Andrews said all sporting clubhouses must remain closed.
“You might be able to play golf, but there won’t be rakes in the bunkers, people won’t be milling around the clubhouse and it will be shut - the list goes on,” Andrews said.
Victorians are now allowed to leave their homes for five reasons; work or education, shopping for essential supplies, exercise and medical and compassionate care, and now visiting friends and family.
Mr Andrews stressed this was not a return to normal though, and it was not an invitation to meet up with people “every hour of every day”.
“That's not what this is about. And if we all did that, then we will have less options in June,” he said.
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“Because our testing program, the biggest in the country, will find many, many more positives because nothing will happen but spread the virus.”
The new restrictions came in at 11.59 pm on Tuesday, May 12, and will remain in place until May 31.
Benalla Rural City has had three confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of April.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Victoria has 116 active cases, with no active cases in Benalla.
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