Queensland border restrictions removed, venue patron limits raised, aged care changes announced for SA
Queenslanders will not be required to self-isolate when travelling to South Australia as of midnight. The move is among a raft of revised measures announced by the Premier today. SEE ALL THE CHANGES
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Queenslanders will soon be able to enter South Australia without restrictions, while children can visit aged care homes for the first time in months after further coronavirus restrictions were eased today.
The number of people allowed into licensed premises has also significantly increased.
As of midnight tonight, visitors from the Sunshine State will be welcomed into SA and will not have to undergo a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period.
Premier Steven Marshall earlier told The Advertiser he wanted SA’s borders open whenever deemed safe to stimulate business activity.
He added he was also watching the ACT and NSW with interest, with the potential to relax restrictions to those states in future.
“In recent days, I have spoken to both Alan Joyce from Qantas and Paul Scurrah from Virgin,” Mr Marshall said.
“They were both very enthusiastic about the opportunities to get their planes back in the sky.”
Qantas and Jetstar are offering discounted fares on 200,000 seats to reboot the domestic tourism industry, including $19 fares from Adelaide – but these are to Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns rather than Perth, Hobart, and Darwin, where travellers can now return from without isolating.
SA yesterday copped a swipe from the Northern Territory, just a day after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews took aim at the state.
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Meanwhile, following a new legal COVID-19 direction being signed off by Police Commissioner Grant Stevens on Thursday night, any child aged under 16 is now permitted to visit elderly residents in residential facilities.
Residents will also be allowed to come and go from their homes as they please.
Among other changes, venues will now be able to host up to 80 people per room, and 300 per establishment, while fitness classes can include a maximum of 20 – however, they must abide by the one person per 7 sqm guideline.
Similarly, public gatherings of up to 300 will now be allowed – and alcohol, where licensed, can be consumed by spectators at sporting events.
Bingo, TAB and Keno will be also be reintroduced into pubs and clubs, as will dart boards and billiards tables.
The date for moving to Stage 3 of SA’s COVID-19 restart plan remains Monday, June 29 – at which point gaming rooms will be reopened, food courts will return and possibly further changes made to the number of people permitted into licences premises.
“We’re looking at this issue of density, there was a lot of progress today, there’s another meeting on Tuesday and we hope to have an update prior to Stage 3 commencing,” Mr Marshall said.