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MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s largest state, home to Sydney, will allow cafes and restaurants, playgrounds, and outdoor pools to reopen on Friday, as extensive tests have shown that the spread of the coronavirus has slowed sharply New South Wales state prime minister said Sunday.
The state has been the most affected by the coronavirus in Australia, with approximately 45% of confirmed cases and deaths in the country. However, it recorded just two new cases on Saturday from the nearly 10,000 people examined, clearing the way for a cautious loosening of the blockade measures.
“Just because we reduce the restrictions does not mean the virus is less deadly or less threatening. All it means is that we have done well to date,” Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Sunday.
Starting May 15, New South Wales will allow cafes and restaurants to accommodate 10 customers at a time, allow outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people and visits of up to five people to a home.
Playgrounds and outdoor pools may also reopen with strict limits.
The measures are in line with a three-step plan to relax the closure measures outlined by the Australian government on Friday, which would see nearly 1 million people return to work in July.
Houses of worship in New South Wales (NSW) will be able to open up to 10 people starting on Friday. Weddings, which had been restricted to two guests, will be able to host up to 10 guests, and indoor funerals can have 20 people in mourning.
The state previously announced that schools would reopen starting Monday, but would only allow students to attend one day a week on a staggered basis.
Berejiklian did not give a time frame for further reopening of the economy, saying that would depend on more data on infection rates, including careful observation of the impact of school reopens.
“We continue to take a cautious approach in New South Wales, but also one focused on employment and the economy, because we cannot continue to live like this for the next year or until there is a vaccine,” Berejiklian said.
NSW and Victoria, which has had the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country, have maintained their strict restrictions longer than other states in the country.
Victoria’s prime minister said he would announce plans to ease blockade measures in the state on Monday.
Western Australia, which closed its borders to combat the spread of the virus and has had only 1 new COVID-19 case in the past 11 days, has moved faster than other states to ease the restrictions.
It has allowed indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people at homes, weddings, and funerals since late April. On Sunday, Prime Minister Mark McGowan said since May 18 that the state would allow indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people, including in cafes and restaurants.
In South Australia, stores reopened on Saturday, drawing large crowds to shopping malls. Starting Monday, the state will allow vacation travel within its borders, in an effort to revive tourism that has been devastated this year by forest fires and the coronavirus.
In the state of Queensland, up to five people could visit homes for Mother’s Day on Sunday, and the state previously allowed people to travel up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) to visit national parks.
(Sonali Paul Report; Christopher Cushing Edition)
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