Yesterday the press conference that so many Victorians had pinned their hopes on delivered a result of, 'we'll get back to you tomorrow', leaving the state in limbo as to what was going to happen with reopening Metropolitan and regional Melbourne.

But, as promised, Premier Daniel Andrews returned to the stage today to address his state.

He opened with the daily number, as he has done for the entirety of his time managing this pandemic for Victoria. Here was what he reported:

Then came the news everyone was waiting for...

"With zero cases and so much testing, we are able to say that now is the time to open up."

Dan Andrews - “Now is the time to open up.”

— Leigh Sales (@leighsales)

"Now is the time to congratulate and thank every single Victorian family," Andrews explained before boldly stating: "This is not over," and that it won't be until a vaccine is here in Australia.

"We need to take these rules seriously. There will be no bending of the rules. No finding loopholes ... because there is no 'normal', only 'COVID-normal'."

What are the new COVID rules for Melbourne and Victoria?

In short, things will be reopening again. But there will be elements that will be staggered to prevent another outbreak. So the first phase will come into play at11:59pm on Tuesday 27th October, 2020.

These are the changes that will be made for Victorians on that date:

Then there will be a secondary 'lifting' of COVID restrictions at11:59pm on Sunday 8th November, 2020. This allows for a "dark opening" for elements outside of the home.

Here's what will change from the 8th November for Victorians:

This easing of restrictions will no doubt be celebrated by Victorians who have lived through 21 weeks of lockdown in order to keep the state and its citizens safe from Coronavirus.

Following the announcement, (in true Australian spirit) the first question from the press asked the Premier if he would be getting on the beers now.

He brilliantly responded with: "I might not be drinking a beer tonight, I might go for something higher on the shelf."