- Pubs, restaurants and cafes in New South Wales will be allowed to serve 50 patrons from June 1.
- Social distancing rules must still be honoured, including having four square metres of space per person, and limiting bookings to 10 people.
- Everyone must remain seated at all times.
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The lucky punters of New South Wales have some more good news: the state will allow 50 people in pubs, cafes and restaurant as of June 1.
"NSW will be taking an important, critical and big step from June 1 – pubs, cafes, restaurants and the like will be able to have up to 50 patrons," Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Friday morning.
There will still be social distancing restrictions in place. Patrons must remain seated – no "mingling or standing around", in the premier's words – and the four square metre per patron requirement must still be observed. This means that smaller venues which cannot accommodate 50 people while also respecting social distancing will have to adjust their patron limits accordingly.
"We know this is a big step," Berejiklian said. "But the rules and regulations will be very strict, to make sure safety is paramount.
The premier announced there would be a limit on the number of people per booking. "Nobody will be able to take bookings of more than 10 people," she said.
At present, 10 people are allowed in pubs, restaurants and cafes in New South Wales, under the Phase 1 reopening guidelines agreed upon by the national cabinet.