Times are changing… somewhat. A bunch of changes to lockdown restrictions will come into play tomorrow. To top it all off, July 1 is the start of the new financial year.
With these two events coinciding on the same day, a lot is set to change around the country, as well as throughout the rest of July.
From grabbing a drink, to watching the footy, to paying fines, here’s what’s happening in every state, and what it means for you.
New South Wales
There will no longer be a limit on how may people are allowed in indoor venues like bars and restaurants. As long as everybody is seated, and there’s one person per four square metres, the sky’s the limit.
Community sport will be able to resume. Meanwhile, professional sports events with more than 40,000 spectators will be able to operate at a quarter of their usual capacity, as long as everybody’s sitting down and social distancing.
Funeral caps are also gone, meaning there are no limits on how many people can attend as long as there’s one person per four square metres, just like restaurants.
Passenger limits will almost double for public transport, with 68 people allowed per train carriage and 23 people per regular bus.
Despite all this, gatherings at home remain unchanged. You can still only have 20 at your place at any one time. That is, if you even have 19 friends.
On the financial front, anyone on JobKeeper, Jobseeker or any other Centrelink payments can apply to have all fines reduced by half from July 1.
Victoria
As of tomorrow, coronavirus hotspot suburbs in Victoria are back at stage three lockdown restrictions. That means people in those suburbs will only be able to leave home to work, study, shop for essentials or get medical help.
Premier Daniel Andrews has issued the four-week stay at home order for the following 10 postcodes: 3012, 3021, 3032, 3038, 3042, 3046, 3047, 3055, 3060 and 3064.
Over the past few days, the state’s already introduced mandatory testing for new overseas arrivals (including a $1,600 fine for people who refuse) and has called in the army to help with a testing blitz across Melbourne.
New rental laws were supposed to come into effect on July 1, but have been pushed back to 2021 at the earliest. The laws would’ve made it harder for landlords to push out tenants, create a public blacklist of dodgy landlords, and speed up bond payments.
https://twitter.com/CaseyBriggs/status/1277814070524047360
Queensland
Queensland has just announced its borders will reopen to all other states (except Victoria) from July 10. Travellers will need to show documents to prove they’re not coming from Victoria, and anyone caught faking these documents will cop a hefty $4,000 fine.
Also on July 10, the amount of people allowed at pretty much all gatherings will be bumped up to 100. That includes homes, pubs, clubs, cinemas, gyms, libraries, salons and places of worship.
Queenslanders’ continued efforts in uniting against COVID-19 means restrictions can ease a week earlier than expected. From July 3, more people will be allowed in more places and to attend more events. https://t.co/dcVGcHukiN #covid19 #uniteandrecover #qldjobs pic.twitter.com/cLKUvRHdoT
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 30, 2020
South Australia
South Australia just backpedaled on reopening the border with Victoria next month, however the window is still open for the NSW border to open on or before July 20.
South Australia’s borders with other states are already open.
Tasmania
Border restrictions will be lifted on July 24, however Premier Peter Gutwein has indicated that Victoria may be excluded if the situation there doesn’t improve.
Western Australia
Don’t use your phone while driving. As of July 1, Western Australian drivers who get busted will now cop a $1,000 fine and lose four demerit points.
On July 18, all limits on the amount of people allowed at gatherings will be lifted.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory will move to reopen its borders on July 17, however anyone coming from a hotspot suburb (such as those in Melbourne) will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Australian Capital Territory
Stage three restrictions will be lifted on July 1, meaning food courts can reopen and contact sports can start again.
However, the government is still deciding on whether or not to allow crowds at sports matches and restart face-to-face learning at uni.
