SA to ease restrictions on hospitality and fitness industries from midnight

Hospitality and fitness operators will be able to welcome more punters and clients back from tomorrow after the South Australian government announced a fresh batch of eased restrictions today.

As part of the state’s plan to ease some restrictions every fortnight, the South Australian Premier Steven Marshall says density limits for gyms and hospitality venues will ease at 12.01am tonight.

Fitness businesses will move from a one person per seven square metre rule to the more lenient one person per four square metre rule.

Meanwhile, hospitality venues will be able to seat more people outdoors, with bars, pubs and clubs soon able to move to the three people per four square metre rule.

The 50 per cent density limit on indoors will remain, but standing consumption of alcohol in an outdoor setting will be permitted.

The Premier also announced home gatherings will be allowed to host 50 people, up from a current limit of 10.

“[The COVID response committee] had three meetings this week and we feel very confident this further easing of restrictions is not going to put undue pressure on our hospital system in South Australia,” Premier Marshall said.

“This will ease the burden on households and businesses, particularly the fitness sector, the hospitality sector, the catering sector in South Australia.”

Marshall also announced that new guidance about the capacity of office buildings will come into effect from Monday, encouraging offices to permit up to 50 per cent of the workforce at once.

However, the Premier noted the wearing of masks in an office environment is still “strongly recommended”.

“This is still a highly transmissible variant,” the Premier said.

“We want to make sure that we can do everything we can to ease those restrictions but not have a second wave in South Australia.”

South Australia today recorded 1,639 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths of people with the virus.

Updated at 3.56pm AEDT on 10 February 2022.