Coronavirus: Chains come off as venue rules loosen

The limit on guests allowed at funerals in NSW will be scrapped from Monday and the ­indoor restriction of 50 people will also be dumped.

Melbourne mother Sophie Cummins with her children Olivia, 4, and Josh, 2, who are excited that toy libraries are to reopen in a week. Picture: Aaron Francis

The limit on the number of guests allowed at funerals in NSW will be scrapped from Monday and the ­indoor restriction of 50 people will also be dumped from next month in an overhaul of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Victoria will also ease a string of coronavirus-induced restrictions from next week after Premier Daniel Andrews said up to 50 ­people would be allowed inside pubs, cafes, cinemas and theatres from next Monday.

Gladys Berejiklian said the plan to scrap the limit of 50 people at ­indoor venues in NSW, such as pubs, restaurants, and churches on July 1, would help kickstart the state’s post-virus economy.

“That means all venues which currently have upper-limit restrictions will have no restrictions as long as those businesses comply with strict social distancing guidelines,” Ms Berejiklian said, referring to the 4sq m density rule.

In Victoria, the number of patrons at pubs, cafes and restaurants as well as guests at religious ceremonies will rise to 50 from 20.

Sophie Cummins, vice-president of Carnegie Toy Library in Melbourne’s southeast, said many parents would be thrilled to return to the state’s toy libraries to exchange some of the “noisier toys”.

“I know my daughter, Olivia, misses being able to walk through the bags and look at what she wants,” Ms Cummins said. “My 21-month-old is happy to just get anything.”

Shared camping facilities, swimming pools and sport centres are among the other places that will reopen in Victoria from next Sunday.

In NSW, crowds will also be able to return to sporting events and music concerts in July after the state government agreed to reopen outdoor cultural and sporting venues with a capacity of 40,000 people to seat 25 per cent of their normal capacity.

Nightclubs, bars and music festivals will remain closed in July due to health advice. The government said it anticipated easing those restrictions in August if ­locally acquired transmission rates remained low.

Ms Berejiklian also said overseas experience meant people would not be allowed to mingle in pubs and that venues would need to ensure patrons remained seated at all times.

“If you go somewhere to have dinner or to partake in another ­activity, you have to be seated,” she said. “It is when people mingle unintentionally that the virus spreads.”

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said Laguna Street Public School in Sydney’s south would close for 10 days from Monday after a female teacher who had contact with many students tested positive for COVID-19.

“Investigations are under way and ongoing into the source of ­infection for that teacher and there is also uncertainty about her exact time of infectiousness,” Dr Chant said on Sunday.

Dr Chant also urged residents in the Sutherland local government area to get tested “irrespective” of the severity of their symptoms amid fears the virus could be spreading undetected in the community.

“If you have mild symptoms, please come forward for testing as we are trying to unearth any undiagnosed transmission occurring in the community,” she said.

The 20-person restriction on funerals, meanwhile, has been scrapped and was replaced with a 4sq m rule on Sunday.

“We have reached a new normal,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

“NSW is effectively an oasis in a COVID-crisis world, but we still have some transmission.

“The evidence is clear that the virus is amongst us.”