Big football crowds could soon return, and pubs and restaurants will be allowed more patrons, as South Australia continues to accelerate its lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
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From next week, SA will relax density requirements for pubs, bars, restaurants and other venues, with one person allowed for every two square metres.
The change will allow businesses to potentially double their capacity, a move the hospitality sector says will improve their viability.
Premier Steven Marshall says larger venues, such as Adelaide Oval, will also be allowed to cater to up to 50 per cent of their normal capacity from June 29, provided health officials have approved their COVID-19 safety plans.
But the government is holding firm on its current schedule for lifting its remaining border restrictions as it continues to monitor a worrying surge in virus infections in Victoria.
SA has already lifted quarantine requirements for people travelling from Tasmania, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is due to do the same for other jurisdictions on July 20.
"But we are looking very carefully at the moment at Victoria," Mr Marshall said on Tuesday.
"Every day that their statistics come out, we look at the number of new infections and the epidemiology of those infections.
"We know that there are hotspots in Victoria ... and what we're doing in a very co-ordinated way is to make sure we, as a nation, get on top of that.
"But we will not be opening our borders to Victoria unless we are absolutely satisfied that we are not going to go backwards from a health, safety, and welfare perspective."
In the meantime, extra police resources will check on people coming into SA from Victoria to ensure they comply with coronavirus measures.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said as restrictions were further eased within SA, the need to prevent the virus from being brought into the state became more relevant.
He said an online system would also operate from Wednesday next week requiring all essential travellers from Victoria and NSW to get prior approval before crossing the border.
"With what we're seeing in Victoria at the moment, and while we hope they get a handle on the current outbreaks that they have, we need to be prepared for the possibility that they don't have that sufficient level of control over the virus," Mr Stevens said.
"We need to be able to ensure the safety of the South Australian community while we are taking these steps to free up the economy as much as possible."
Australian Associated Press
