New rules will let more people wine, dine and drink in the ACT from Friday morning. Cinemas can allow more people in.
In the biggest change, the limit of one person per four square metres is widened to one person per two square metres - but only for outside areas.
Inside remains the same.
So if a pub has a beer garden of 80 square metres and an indoor bar of 80 square metres, 40 people can drink outside under the new rules but still only 20 inside.
Wining and dining
The Boat House restaurant on Lake Burley Griffin was going to open its new outside bar from Friday evening anyway, but the new regulations have given it a boost.
"The changes mean we have the ability to add even more seats," owner James Souter said.
Under the old rules, 70 people were allowed at the same time outside. Mr Souter doesn't reckon he'll double that but will increase it substantially.
The new bar - known as the Armada Bar - was born out of COVID. Mr Souter decided to re-engineer his business as the epidemic tore away his market.
In the outside bar, customers will be able to scan their phones on a code and then order and pay for drinks on the app. The aim is to minimise contact.
Clubs also welcomed the relaxation in rules as a step back towards normality and higher revenue.
For the Southern Cross Club in Woden, the big change is lifting the limit on how many people are allowed in each "enclosed space" inside.
Before the change, it was 99 but that rises to 200 so the capacity of the whole establishment goes from 630 to 850.
"It's a good, positive change, " Ian Mackay, the chief executive said.
"It means we can satisfy the demand that is there for people who want to come out to dine. We've been turning people away, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night."
He said the big drop was in "walk-ins" who came on spec to dine. He hoped the increased capacity would bring them back. A higher chance of getting a table might persuade them to venture out
Cinemas
The limit for people in cinemas is also increased - though there was a less warm welcome for the changes.
Cinemas can allow in up to half their usual capacity in each individual screening theatre, with a limit of 200 people.
"For our biggest cinema with a capacity of 375, that means we've moved from 100 to 187 seats," Eloi Mota, Dendy Cinema's Head of Group Marketing, said.
"For our smallest cinema with a capacity of 94 seats, we have moved from 35 to 47 seats. The net increase across our 15 screens is 251 seats.
"It's not enough to make a significant difference."
He is unhappy that the one person per two square-metres rule has not been allowed for indoor areas like his cinema.
The Palace Electric welcomed the raising of the limit. For a medium, 82-seat cinema, the easing means 41 cinema-goers compared with 30 before.
"It's a great improvement," Palace Electric general manager, Caitlin Culver, said.
One of the benefits of the rule change for the Palace Electric is that the bar area will be allowed to have more people in it.
"It means more people can be there longer after the film and socialise."
The epidemic meant much more work for fewer staff - cleaning surfaces repeatedly, for example.
"Everybody is maxed out," Ms Culver said.
The Canberra Theatre
The Canberra Theatre Centre also welcomed the easing of restrictions.
Its director Alex Budd said raising the ceiling on audience size meant they could run bigger productions.
"It's great news."
