Coronavirus: eat street opens doors but borders to stay shut
Western Australia will be the first state to reopen restaurants in a windback of coronavirus restrictions.
Western Australia will be the first state to reopen restaurants in a windback of coronavirus restrictions that the government hopes can reinstate thousands of jobs.
From next Monday, the state’s 10-person limit for non-work gatherings will be lifted to 20. And regional lockdowns that prevented Perth residents from travelling outside the city limits will be eased to allow West Australians to holiday within four zones. The Margaret River wine region will be open to residents of Perth, the Wheatbelt and the south coast.
Premier Mark McGowan on Sunday encouraged everyone who was working from home to return to their offices and workplaces unless they were unwell or their health was vulnerable. He said restaurants, hotels, pubs and cafes would be allowed to serve dine-in meals with alcoholic drinks for up to 20 customers at once from next Monday.
Mr McGowan said the state’s isolation and the patience and understanding of residents had helped to control the virus. The number of people with COVID-19 in Western Australia fell to seven on Sunday.
“We have led the way and other states have looked to us for guidance,” Mr McGowan said. “Our strong performance in controlling the COVID-19 spread means we will continue to lead when it comes to easing restrictions.”
He said he felt deeply for people forced to close businesses and for staff who had lost jobs. “It is a heartbreaking thing to see, to walk into a cafe with chairs and tables stacked up,” he said. “I feel so sorry for these people and I wish it had never had to happen.”
Mr McGowan acknowledged the 20-person limit and social distancing meant reopening was not viable for some cafes and restaurants. He indicated the state’s restrictions would be further relaxed in four weeks.
“Western Australia now needs to get moving and get our economy going again,” he said. “I ask for people to remain patient. Your understanding and patience throughout this pandemic crisis has been a hallmark of Western Australia’s journey and I hope this can continue.”
While the state’s nine regional boundaries will be reduced to four next Monday, Mr McGowan said the border with South Australia and the Northern Territory would likely be the last restriction lifted.
“We have obviously gone further than any other state in Australia but that’s because West Australians have managed this issue better,” Mr McGowan said.
In the beachside Perth suburb of Cottesloe, JobKeeper helped Jane King’s 15 staff when the pandemic forced her to close her cafe Barchetta and reopen only as a hole-in-the-wall takeaway coffee and pizza shop.
She said Mother’s Day was usually one of the busiest of the year at Barchetta but on Sunday takings were between 8 and 10 per cent of last year’s total.
Ms King said her young staff quickly retrained from waiters to pizza-makers.
David Dixon and Madeline Avis bought coffee on Sunday at North Cottesloe beach. Ms Avis said she felt the timing was right for empty cafes to be allowed to serve dine-in customers again.
“WA has done well,” she said.
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