Licensed Victorian restaurants and cafes will be able to sell alcohol with takeaway meals without applying for a second licence.
The Victorian government said the reforms, which come into effect from next month, will help the hospitality sector carry out its business without any additional fees or red tape.
As part of the changes, bars, hotels, restaurants, and cafes wanting to extend their trading hours from 11pm to 1am will be able to do so automatically, without having to apply for a change to their licence.
Businesses with Temporary Limited Licenses expiring in March will also be able to apply for a fast-tracked temporary outdoor area licence.
The licence will be determined within three business days and expire in mid-December, while the fees will be fully refunded.
It comes as Victoria ditches its mask mandate in most places from 11.59pm on Friday.
The mask mandate has been in place in some form since July 2020, but will soon only be required in limited situations, such as on public transport, taxis, and in airports and hospitals.
Some groups of workers will also have to keep wearing masks, including hospitality and retail workers, primary school and early childhood centre staff, and justice and correctional facility employees.
High school students will also be allowed to remove their masks in classes, but primary school students in grades three to six will still have to wear them for now.
That's due in part to the lower vaccination rate in Victorian children aged five to 11, which sits at 54.6 per cent for first doses.
Victorians will also no longer be urged to work from home if possible, in a move expected to increase foot traffic in Melbourne's CBD.
The state recorded another 6580 COVID-19 infections on Friday, while another 11 people have died with the virus.
The new cases include 4263 results from rapid antigen tests and 2317 from PCR lab tests.
There are 41,125 active cases in the state.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus has fallen by 21 from Thursday, with 301 active or recovered cases in hospital.
Of these, 38 are in intensive care and four are on ventilators.
Some 57.6 per cent of Victorian adults have received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Australian Associated Press
