Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia’s tough coronavirus restrictions will be eased in three stages, with the reopening of restaurants and cafes to occur in the first phase.
Venues will be required to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines of one person per four square metres, chief health officer Brendan Murphy said.
“That means many won’t be able to open, but many doing takeaway may want to put up enough distance tables to start gently serving 10 people at a time,” he explained.
Seated restaurant sections in pubs and clubs will be allowed to open in the first phase if they can adhere to above guidelines, but the wholesale opening of both will only occur as part of stage three.
“[Today], we move ahead with reopening our economy – and our society – with a clear plan, and a clear framework, that shows Australians the road ahead,” Morrison said. “We've got to get out from under the doona.”
Each state and territory will set their own timelines for moving through each step, meaning that Victoria may allow restaurants and cafes to reopen at a different time to New South Wales, and so on.
“On the issue of premiers, they’ll be announcing their own timetables for when they’re making those statements,” Morrison said. “We’ll be reviewing progress of our plan every three weeks. And making any changes as we need to.”
In late April the influential Restaurant and Caterers Association, which represents 45,000 cafes, restaurants and caterers around Australia, submitted a proposal to the National Cabinet urging it to allow hospitality businesses to reopen, albeit with rigorous social distancing measures in place.
The first stage of easing will also see the return of gatherings up to 10 people outdoors, boot camps and other activities such as golf and lap swimming, as well as local – interstate and regional – recreational travel. Playgrounds, libraries and community centres will also be reopened.
For more information on how restrictions will be lifted, see Scott Morrison’s three-stage framework.
