The latest public health advice has recommended changes which will encourage more people into venues to support local businesses and will allow for safe travel arrangements into Western Australia from Victoria.
Pending no further outbreaks and the latest health advice, the changes will come into effect from 12.01am on Monday, March 15.
Increased capacity of up to 75 per cent will be allowed at outdoor and indoor venues including:
- restaurants, cafes, food courts, and bars;
- indoor and outdoor auditoriums and amphitheatres;
- theatres;
- concert halls;
- cinemas;
- comedy lounges;
- performing arts centres;
- places of worship;
- function centres;
- community, recreation or youth centre or facilities, including community halls and sporting clubs including but not limited to:
- Community halls, sporting clubs, Returned and Services League facilities and Police and Community Youth Centres;
- WA's major stadiums (Optus Stadium, HBF Park, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium - Main Arena);
- funeral parlours.
If the 2 square metre rule is greater than 75 per cent capacity, the greater option will be permitted for these particular venues and events.
The 2 square metre rule will continue to apply to all other unfixed seating venues and facilities including:
- nightclubs;
- unseated events/festivals (music, beer, wine, cultural etc.);
- galleries;
- libraries
- Sport and recreation facilities including gyms, recreation centres, group fitness classes and indoor and outdoor swimming pools
- museums;
- amusement parks;
- wildlife parks and the zoo;
- adult entertainment premises (including but not limited to strip clubs, brothels and sex on premises venues);
- Outdoor venues with unfixed seating, including pop-up bars and outdoor cinemas
- Events with a COVID Event Plan
- Pop-up events (i.e. Fringe festival - tents with auditorium seating for performances)
- casino and gambling venues; and
- arcades.
Victoria will transition from 'low risk' to 'very low risk' at 12.01am, on Monday, March 15, pending no further outbreaks.
Under the 'very low risk' category, safe travel is permitted into WA subject to the following updated conditions:
- completion of a G2G Pass declaration, stipulating they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions the traveller has been in over the previous 14 days;
- all Perth Airport arrivals to undergo a health screening and temperature test;
- travellers to be prepared to take a COVID-19 test at the airport COVID clinic, if deemed necessary by a health clinician (voluntary asymptomatic testing also available); and
- land arrivals to be met at the border checkpoint, for a health screening and to have their G2G Pass declaration checked.
This will be the first time all Australian jurisdictions have been classified 'very low risk' category under WA's controlled border arrangements and is a positive outcome following the application of cautious and safe public health measures.
WA's international arrival cap increased from 512 to 900 this week, as agreed with the Commonwealth. The cap will then increase further and return to 1,025 from March 26 - making WA the state accepting the most returning Australians per capita.
Since early January, WA has been taking 512 arrivals from overseas each week because of the heightened risks associated with the concerning COVID situations overseas.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"These changes can now be made due to the hard work of Western Australians, which has enabled the virus to be controlled and ensured there is no community spread in WA.
"Increasing the capacity limit to 75 per cent capacity for both indoor and outdoor venues including restaurants, clubs, cafés, bars and places of worship will further benefit patrons as well as boost our business owners and operators.
"Potential outbreaks from international travellers are still our country's biggest threat, and as we increase the number of overseas arrivals, it will make these risks even more prominent.
"This is further complicated by the new strains of the virus and outbreaks internationally so while we ease restrictions even further, we need to lift our game when it comes to personal hygiene and checking in using SafeWA - to help keep us safe."
As stated by Health Minister Roger Cook:
"This is a great outcome for business and entertainment venues everywhere.
"The State Government will continue to work with them on how they operate in a COVID-safe way as we come out of this crisis.
"Public health, physical distancing and mass gathering measures continue to be highly effective in keeping WA safe.
"As the State Government looks forward to these new measures it is timely to remind everyone to keep using the SafeWA app to help our contact tracing teams.
"There have been more than 70 million scans of SafeWA at venues, which is phenomenal.
"But even though there is no COVID-19 in the community we cannot afford to become complacent or take our good fortune for granted."
