Dancing is back: SA restrictions ease

Tough restrictions that saw house gatherings capped at 10 and dancing and singing banned have been lifted, with our borders opening up fully to Victoria.

All restrictions are being immediately eased back to levels imposed on South Australians before the latest Covid-19 scare linked to an infectious Adelaide miner.

Border restrictions to Victoria have also been lifted, but hard borders remain for the other states for now.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has authorised new coronavirus directions that ease bans on licensed venues, public activities, home gatherings and singing.

In new rules that came into force at 12.54pm, patrons in restaurants, pubs and clubs will be able to return to standing while drinking, with dancing and singing back on.

Directions, verbally authorised by Mr Stevens as state Covid-19 co-ordinator on health advice and recommendations from the transition committee, will boost licensed venue capacity back to 75 per cent – up from 1 person per 2 sqm rule imposed on businesses last week.

The restrictions on home gatherings – which had been reduced to 10 in metropolitan Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Mt Barker, the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley and 150 elsewhere in SA – have been scrapped and will return to people needing a Covid plan for guests of up to 200.

Bans have been lifted on shisha bars and communal buffets in which customer are served only by wait staff or a chef.

People also don’t have to wear masks, but must get tested if they are showing any symptoms of Covid-19.

Premier Steven Marshall announced the changes at a 12.20pm press conference, almost 24 hours after the transition committee met.

“We will be opening up to Victoria without the restrictions we’ve had in place in the last couple of weeks,” he said.

He thanked South Australians for getting tested, with a near-record 9495 getting tested on Sunday.

Premier Stephen Marshall at a Covid-19 update in the State Administration Media Room in Victoria Square. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“We said we didn’t want to keep the restrictions in place for a day longer than we needed too and we’re very pleased to announce … they will be lifted immediately.”

The tough restrictions were triggered last week after an SA miner returning from the NT tested positive to the fast-moving Delta variant.

The miner and five of his family members tested positive. All close contacts of the man have now been cleared of Covid.

Mr Marshall said he was “extraordinarily thankful” to the miner and his family for isolating.

He said he wanted to see our vaccination rates grow much higher and has extended opening hours at vaccination clinics to encourage more aged-care workers to get vaccinated.

“I think South Australia at the moment is the envy of the world but we are very isolated,” he said.

He said there were vaccination hubs and local GPs and encouraged everyone to book their jab.

“We want every single person that is eligible to have that vaccination.”

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said there was one new case today – a child in a medi-hotel, not related to the miner or his family.

Two existing cases have been hospitalised.

“When we closed the border to NSW we still have people come into South Australia … I felt quite comfortable about lifting the restrictions here but we have to be mindful about Covid in the other states,” she said.

“We’re looking to see how Queensland goes, and the cases in New South Wales,” she said in terms of opening up to those two states.

“At the moment we’re going to stay put.

“If you have the Delta variant and it gets into your community it is very, very hard to get it out.”

She said masks may still be required to be worn in hospitals and aged-care facilities.

“I would like to see at least 80 per cent of South Australians vaccinated because it is the best way to see us through this pandemic.”

Mr Stevens, who made a rare verbal direction before written laws are signed, said the easing of restrictions was effective immediately and businesses would shortly receive an email with updated Covid plans.

“Businesses across the board generally did the right thing,” he said of the tougher restrictions last week.

He said the state “dodged a bullet” and that in hindsight he was convinced the right decision had been made to introduce the tougher restrictions last week.

He said the Transition Committee would meet again on Thursday.

“Things are looking good for the Northern Territory and WA … we’ll assess that over the next few days,” he said.

It followed calls from business leaders on Sunday to immediately lift all Covid-19 restrictions imposed last week, with the Australian Hotels Association estimating the latest round of trading constraints had cost its members more than $30m.

Property Council executive director Daniel Gannon said the easing of restrictions “just in time for school holidays” was welcome news.

“If you were planning to take your colleagues and staff out for an EOFY lunch and had to postpone, the business community implores you to rebook as quickly as possible.”

Business SA chief executive Martin Haese said on Sunday he understood why restrictions had been imposed but it was time they were lifted as there had been no cases of community transmission in the last week.