Daniel Wills: Premier Steven Marshall puts confidence back into the food and wine state with an early reward for our hard work

While there’s a way to go before we crank back up to life at full pace, the announcement that some restrictions will lift before the June long weekend instead of after will give us real momentum, writes Daniel Wills.

• SA hotels want to reopen for at least 50 patrons from June 5
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SA hasn’t been its old self lately, but now the food and wine state is ready to start cranking up to full pace with a highly anticipated lifting of restrictions that gets us back to the pub before the start of the June long weekend.

Premier Steven Marshall has been mulling phase two of the restrictions being lifted for weeks now. Just a week and a half ago, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison and National Cabinet decided on a collective road map out, Mr Marshall went hardest and fastest.

We never gave up some freedoms, like gatherings of up to 10 and open schools, but with the promotion of regional travel and a few other trinkets, we appeared to be leading on the economic kickstart after having crushed the health curve better than anywhere else.

But, in the few long days since then, other states began breaking apart from the consensus and rushed ahead on pubs and clubs and other economic drivers. SA started to look like something of a jobs laggard, as reasonable questions were asked about why we weren’t joining in.

Politically, Mr Marshall has bought himself a bit more time today.

Economically, he’s starting to seriously put the foot down.

Bringing forward the lifting of phase two restrictions to the start of the Friday, June 5 long weekend instead of waiting until Monday, June 8 gives an impatient public a bit of a morale boost. It’s a sign of good faith for the commonsense and compassion that SA has shown in staying locked up. And the chance for a knock-off beer this Friday (as long as it is at a restaurant or cafe as pubs don’t open again until June 5) brings back one of life’s great simple pleasures.

Both will add further confidence to the mountain of goodwill that Mr Marshall and the transition team already have after suffocating COVID with a world-leading testing regime.

But Mr Marshall is also holding back details on what our world will exactly look like on June 5, with a “principles-based approach” to a wider reopening to be detailed in the coming days.

It’s quite possible, probably likely, that there are still fine details up in the air.

What shape they take will be essential to how the state of Cooper’s Pale Ale, Clare Valley riesling and a bold Barossa shiraz sees itself in just a couple weeks time.

But with the appetite for a more optimistic road map sated, the Government can now get back to business as workers and employers go forward with a thirsty kind of confidence.