Everything banned under stage two restrictions
House parties, barbecues, birthdays and a number of leisure activities will be banned starting from midnight tonight as Australia moves to the next stage of the fight against coronavirus.
Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons and tattoo parlours are just some of the latest things banned by the Federal Government to help prevent the spread of the disease in Australia.
Making the announcement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said food courts will also be shut down except for takeaway.
Cafes will continue to be allowed to provide takeaway only. Food markets will continue to operate in all states and territories.
Hairdressers are barber shops will remain open with up to 30-minute appointments and the one person per four square metre rule applies in the premises. Spas and massage parlours will have to shut, as will strip clubs, brothels and sex on premises venues.
Auctions and open house inspections will also be banned along with amusement parks and arcades. Play centres are also now included in the shutdown.
Community and recreation centres, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre, spin facilities, saunas and wellness centres will shut.
Boot camps and personal training sessions can have a maximum of 10 people with strict social distancing rules observed.
Social sporting-based activities and swimming pools will be ordered to close.
Galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, libraries, community centres, non-essential facilities, community facilities such as halls will be closed.
Caravan and camping parks will be a decision for each state and territory.
Weddings will also become extremely restricted, with no more than five people allowed. Funerals are capped at 10.
“Large gatherings for weddings, sadly, won’t be possible under these new arrangements. Sadly, also, and I know this will be very difficult, funerals to no more than 10 persons observing the rules around the 4-square metre rule and the social distancing practices,” the Prime Minister said.
People will be urged to stay home unless it is “absolutely necessary you go out. Going out for the basics, going out for an exercise, perhaps with your partner or family members, provided it’s a small group, that’s fine.
“But going outside and going out and participating more broadly in the community unless you’re shopping for basics or there are medical needs or you’re providing care and support to an individual at another place,” Morrison said.
Australians are also banned from international travel.
“As soon as that direction is signed off by the health minister, it will come into force then and that will happen (Wednesday),” he said.
Schools will remain open as the Prime Minister believes “it is safe to send your children to school.”
“It’s going to be a tough year in 2020 and one of the things I don’t want to have yielded up is a year of a child’s education, which is so important. We need to work so hard together to try and ensure that those kids get that education and that is not lost to this virus,” he said.
Australia has recorded over 2000 cases of coronavirus with eight deaths.