Australians will face even tighter restrictions on daily life as the country grapples with the an upturn (that will peak sometime inn April or May) in coronavirus cases.
An expanded list of businesses will be forced to close their doors at midnight on Wednesday with an emphasis on stopping large gatherings as COVID-19 infections in Australia doubles every four days, reaching 2,136 earlier on Tuesday.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says Australians need to restrict unnecessary interactions.
“We are very worried about the rate of rise of the number of coronavirus cases in Australia, particularly over the last few days,” Prof Murphy said on Tuesday night.
“It is a very, very steep growth and it is very concerning.”
New restrictions
- Food courts inside shopping centres – however, take-away and delivery will be allowed
- Auction houses, real estate auctions and open house inspections
- Outdoor and indoor markets – excluding food markets
- Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas, massage and tattoo parlours
- Amusement parks and arcades
- Concert venues, theatre, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums
- Play centres, both indoor and outdoor
- Community and recreation centres
- Personal training will be limited to 10 people, with social distancing strictly enforced
- Social and sporting-based activities, involving large groups
- Galleries, museums, libraries, national institutions and historic sites
- Community clubs, halls and RSLs
- Health clubs, fitness centres, saunas, wellness centres, public swimming pools
- Weddings are restricted to couples, the celebrant and witnesses (no more than five people)
- Funerals have been restricted to no more than 10 people
- Hairdressers and barber shops can operate, but a customer must not be on the premises for more than 30 minutes
Meanwhile Premier Andrews in Victoria said: ‘I’m being upfront’ stage three restrictions are coming.
Travellers returning for overseas
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy was particularly concerned about travellers returning from overseas with the virus and stressed the importance of social distancing to prevent community transmission.
“We have to change the way we interact, as human beings, in our society, for quite a long time. This virus will be with us for some time,” he said.
Community related centers
Most community facilities will also close, including libraries, swimming pools, RSLs, galleries and community centres.
Health-related personal services, such as physiotherapy, will be allowed to keep running.
Outdoor boot camps and personal training will be limited to a maximum of 10 people per session.
Outdoor and indoor markets are banned while rules around major food markets will be addressed by states and territories.
