Venues with outdoor areas have been given some new trading ability, but indoor venues are still capped at one person per four-square-metres, with seated consumption of alcohol.

SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 ADELAIDE

And so begins another operating reality for South Australia’s hospitality industry, as per a relaxing of restrictions announced Friday last week.

The new relaxed restrictions don’t go as far as some venues might have hoped, but there are some new allowances for stand-up drinking and new higher capacity allowances.

The changes, which kicked in from midnight last night, are scheduled to be in place for two weeks and are as follows.

The cap on the number of patrons within licensed venues for general trade has now been scrapped. Previously, venues were capped at 100 people.

All venues must now offer QR codes at their entrances, for patrons to check into the venue, either via the QR reader built into their phone or the myGOV SA app.

Private functions within licensed premises are still capped, now at 150 people, and the stand-up consumption of alcohol is permitted at private functions.

General trade inside a licensed venue must stick to a density of one person per four-square-metres and there must only be seated consumption of alcohol.

Outdoor areas of licensed venues, however, will be allowed one person per two-square-metres and stand-up consumption of alcohol is permitted.

Weddings are to remain capped at 150 patrons, but stand-up consumption of alcohol and dancing are permitted.

Nightclubs and “gatherings over 1,000” will require a COVID management plan to operate. In the instance of nightclubs, these have been put on hold for the time being.

The club and live music venue operators we spoke to last week don’t see operating under a one person per four-square-metres density restriction as viable to break-even in their business, and so this stipulation may put some Adelaide venues at risk of permanent closure.

Outside of the hospitality industry, the cap on funerals has raised to 150 persons.

Home gatherings will remain capped at 10 persons.

People working in personal care services (hair and nail salons, tattoo studios), allied health and residential care facilities are required to wear a mask in any situations in which 1.5-metre physical distancing can’t be maintained.

It is also the advice of SA Health that all South Australians who cannot maintain 1.5-metre physical distancing in day-to-day life wear a face mask.

CityMag has compiled a list of local makers creating face masks, if you’d like to turn the health directive into an opportunity to support small business. Browse the range of makers here.

The above conditions will be in place for a two-week period from Tuesday, 1 December, and the plan is to then reduce restrictions further so as to achieve a “normal situation by Christmas,” Premier Steven Marshall said on Friday.