Extended social distancing rules will have to be put in place at bars, cinemas, public transportation, and local sporting establishments before they can start functioning normally as the lockdown restrictions begin to loosen.
Owners of bars are talking about a number of rules to limit social contact – including bans on items such as buzzers, water jugs, and plastic menus.
A top journalist board has urged against the reopening of hotel buffets – with customers dining in their rooms while the restrictions are easing.
‘I think there will be a lot more in-room dining. People won’t be as keen to eat in the restaurant,’ Michael Johnson, head of Tourism Accommodation Australia, told the Daily Telegraph.
Medical experts and state leaders are currently developing plans to reopen sports and get people back to two work ahead of a review of social restrictions on May 11.
Since a vaccine has not been created yet, according to the Australian Hotels Association, a ‘new world order’ is likely to be expected when bars reopen their doors.
‘They [bar owners] are thinking about anything that people touch – water jars at the end of the bar, those laminated menus, the buzzer,’ the association’s NSW chief executive officer John Whelan explained.
‘Live music is a real difficult one. Possibly seated. A lot of hotels are giving real consideration to everything. They all accept social distancing is here to stay for a while.’
According to Peter Collington, an Australian National University microbiologist, bars and hotels may not go back to their normal states until September – even though they are likely to reopen under strict rules in July, he told Daily Mail Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is currently working on ways to reset sports and get Australians back to work, he announced at a recent national cabinet event.
Mr. Morrison said health experts will put out guidance on how to safely practice professional and community sports alike.
‘Community sport is such an important part of our way of life here in Australia, and these principles can help guide decisions by states and territories in the future,’ he said.
The NRL has recently announced that it hopes to resume the season on May 28, even though details are yet to be confirmed.
Prime Minister Morrison said experts are working on new rules businesses can follow to make their work environments safe to go back to.
The rules will point out what employees should do if one of their co-workers is infected with the coronavirus.
‘We also agreed National COVID-19 safe workplace principles. This is all about getting Australians back to work,’ Mr. Morrison said.
Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer, said he has requested for experts to provide ‘recommendations for gently, carefully, cautiously relaxing social distancing measures’.
According to him, this could mean easing restrictions on the number of people permitted to gather in public.
Mr. Murphy also announced that each state and area now has the ability to test people who have symptoms of the virus.
In addition, he praised the country’s new contact tracing app which is to start operating in a matter of days.
‘We’re putting in place the world’s best testing and public health and surveillance regime before we relax any measures,’ Mr. Murphy said when asked if he was worried about a second wave of the virus exploding in Australia.
‘No Australian wants to see hundreds of people dying a day from coronavirus.
‘We are not prepared to see that, and that’s why we are being so cautious and we are putting in these extraordinary surveillance measures.
‘We want to be testing 40,000, 50,000 Australians a day if necessary.’
See the Prime Minister’s speech regarding the re-opening of the country in the video below.
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