New South Wales and Victoria will welcome eased restrictions around pubs and venues over the coming weeks, the respective state governments have announced.
In New South Wales, the 50-person limit on pubs and venues in the state will be scrapped from Wednesday, 1st July. Instead of a specific number, the capacity of indoor venues will be determined by the one person per 4 square metre rule, with no upper limit. All patrons must be seated under the eased restrictions.
“The community has worked incredibly hard over the past few months which has allowed us to be where we are today,” commented Premier Gladys Berejiklian in a statement on Sunday, 14th June. “However we can’t let our guard down. People need to come forward for testing with the mildest of symptoms and practise good hand hygiene and social distancing.”
The statement went on to acknowledge that music festivals and nightclubs will remain closed throughout July due to their high risk of the virus spreading. However, the statement adds that it “is anticipated that restrictions will be eased further in August if community transmission of the virus remains low.”
Last week, music festival Splendour in the Grass was postponed to July 2021.
In Victoria, pubs, clubs, venues and theatres will be allowed to open for 50 patrons, also seated, from next Monday, 22nd June. In a statement, Premier Daniel Andrews commented, “As always, timing on any future changes remains subject to the advice of our Chief Health Officer.
“As far as we’ve come – it’s not over yet. And for every small step we take, our own personal responsibility grows.”
Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty
