Despite the Victorian government letting more Melbourne-based businesses reopen, owners and industry groups say it's not enough.
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From Monday, about 127,000 workers in the city were able to return to work - 26,000 more than initially flagged under Melbourne's "second step" of its COVID-19 roadmap.
Workforce capacities for meat and seafood processing have been raised, while limits have been slashed altogether for warehouses, supermarkets and distribution centres.
Elective surgery will ramp up to 75 per cent in metropolitan Melbourne and non-urgent dental work is now allowed.
Gardening, landscaping and garden maintenance businesses with an ABN will be added to the permitted worker list as long as outside work can be done alone safely.
Pet groomers are able to resume contactless on-site services and personal trainers are able to conduct outdoor sessions with up to two people.
"Although it is welcome news to be able to go outdoors, I certainly would have liked to have seen one-on-one facilities that are appointment-based allowed to reopen," Enterprise Fitness founder Mark Ottobre told AAP.
Mr Ottobre said it was too early to tell how many customers his business would be able to recoup and he was concerned Melbourne's inclement weather would be an impediment.
Under the roadmap's "last step", exercise and recreation facilities will open subject to safety measures if Victoria records zero new cases over a 14-day span.
Mr Ottobre insists his business is already safe and ready for clients to return and doesn't believe gyms and personal training outfits should be lumped in with other apparent high-risk settings.
"The perception is that they're sweat boxes where everyone is on top of each other, sweating it out and breathing the same air," he said.
"Whereas if you come into our facility - and I want to distinguish between personal training and gyms - it is no different from a hairdresser or a myotherapist.
"Even if people are using the same equipment, it's very easy to implement alcoholic wipes and temperature tests."
Likewise, real estate inspections - limited to 15 minutes - were given the green light on Monday amid the spring auction season.
The Real Estate Institute of Victoria said auctions over August had fallen by more than 80 per cent compared with recent years, with fewer than 10 a week recorded in September.
Melbourne pubs remain closed but Victoria's branch of the Australian Hotels Association is keen for the city to follow the region's lead sooner rather than later.
"Our country pubs are showing that we are COVID Safe to open," AHA Victoria president David Canny said in a statement.
"I'm appealing to the government to rethink its roadmap modelling given the reduction of COVID-19 case numbers so that pubs and hotels survive."
The Australian Industry Group said Sunday's announcement was a step in the right direction but noted many businesses remained "extremely vulnerable".
It singled out Melbourne's beauty industry for a potential phased reopening to give the community a "much-needed morale boost".
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry hailed the expanded rules package as a "good start" and hopes regional Victoria will be rewarded with further easing soon due to low case numbers.
Australian Associated Press