The support comes as an extra $2,000 top-up payment for metropolitan Melbourne businesses and sole traders that are closed because of the COVID‑19 restrictions. Businesses set to benefit from the extra funding include approximately 3700 small and medium-sized businesses and sole traders in eligible sectors such as gyms, dance schools and yoga studios.

Eligible businesses can receive this new funding in addition to the $2,500 or $5,000 payment already available through the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two. This brings the total amount available to eligible businesses to $7,000.

This comes as the Victorian Government announced COVID‑19 restrictions will ease for both metro Melbourne and regional Victoria from Friday 11 June. Melbourne will move to almost the same settings currently in place across regional Victoria, and regional Victoria will ease further.

Read the full media release on the Premier's website.