Since the pandemic was declared all Australian states have gone into various levels of lockdown.
Now that the country is cautiously optimistic that the curve has been flattened, the big question is how and when we will come out of isolation?
On Friday 8 May, the federal government announced a three-stage plan to ease coronavirus restrictions across the country, with the goal of reaching stage three by July. Ultimately, though, it is up to each state and territory to decide when and how far they would be relaxing restrictions in the coming months.
The states and territories have already announced their plans in response.
While some, like WA, are significantly easing restrictions, others are taking a slower approach.
So what are the laws as they currently stand?
These are the laws as of Friday 15 May. This article will be updated as new restrictions are implemented or repealed.
Queensland
Under the current regulations in Queensland, up to five adults from the same household are allowed to visit another home.
Queenslanders are allowed to shop for non-essential items. Picnics and weekend drives are allowed and national parks have reopened. Residents are now allowed to travel more than 50km within the state
As of 3 April, interstate travel is still closed to everyone except residents and essential workers, including freight carriers and emergency workers. Barriers are still erected in the Gold Coast suburb of Coolangatta, which straddles both Queensland and NSW. There are some exemptions for those who regularly cross the Queensland-NSW border for work.
But from Saturday 16 May, Queensland will start easing its coronavirus restrictions in line with the federal government’s three-step plan.
Under step one of Queensland’s plan, gatherings of up to five people will be allowed in homes, and gatherings of up to 10 people in other places. People will be allowed to take day trips up to 150km within their region, while those in rural Australia will be allowed to travel 500km within the outback.
Weddings will be allowed 10 guests, and funerals 20 guests indoors and 30 outdoors.
Beauty salons will open back up, and pubs and cafes in regional or rural areas with no cases will be able to seat up to 20 people. Open homes will also be allowed.
The second stage of relaxing restrictions will start on 12 June, and see gatherings of up to 20 people; indoor cinemas, entertainment venues and amusement parks reopening; and greater recreational travel distances allowed.
Stage three will start on 10 July. While premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said details are “subject to further planning and review”, intrastate and interstate travel will be permitted, and a maximum of 100 people allowed to gather in homes, public spaces, and other venues including cinemas, places of worship, and restaurants.
Queensland police officers are still able to issue on-the-spot fines of $1,334.50 for individuals and $6,672.50 for corporations who breach these laws. The maximum penalties available through the courts are 10 times those amounts.
New South Wales
As of Friday 15 May, up to five adults are allowed to visit another person’s home in NSW. There is no limit the number of guests someone is allowed per day as long as there are no more than five at a time.
There is no limit on how far someone can travel to visit another household under this rule. But you are still not allowed to travel to regional or rural areas for a holiday.
From Friday, public gatherings of up to 10 people, or members of the same household, are also allowed. Outdoor playground and exercise equipment can also now be used, with caution, and outdoor pools are open.
Berejiklian has encouraged retail stores to reopen, as long as physical distancing is maintained. Cafes, restaurants and pubs can seat 10 diners at any one time, as long as they allow for four square metres per person. They must also ensure there are 1.5 metres between patrons.
Weddings can now have up to 10 guests, in addition to those conducting the service, a photographer, a videographer and the couple. Up to 20 mourners can attend indoor funerals, and outdoor funerals can have up to 30.
Religious gatherings and places of worship can also invite up to 10 worshippers inside at a time.
Movement is also allowed for the purpose of moving into a new home or inspecting a potential new home, providing care or assistance to a vulnerable person or in an emergency, and undertaking legal obligations, accessing government services, or donating blood. Exemptions also exist for priests or members of religious orders, and where someone is escaping potential injury, illness or harm.
People who are learning to drive can continue to learn to drive and get their hours logged.
Children who live across two households can continue to switch between houses.
Police have been out on the streets enforcing these rules.
It has been left to police officers’ discretion who will receive a fine, however all fines are reviewed personally by the police commissioner, Mick Fuller.
Victoria
Currently, residents can only leave the house for one of five essential reasons. These are:
Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
Work and education
Care and compassionate reasons
Exercise
Visiting friends and family
A full breakdown of these reasons can be found here.
Since midnight on Tuesday 12 May, Victorians have been allowed to have up to five guests over to their homes.
Up to 10 people can gather outside for recreational purposes and to engage in activities like hiking, jogging and other non-contact sport.
Weddings are allowed up to 10 guests. Meanwhile, up to 20 guests are able to attend funerals held indoors, or 30 if held outdoors.
Camping is still out of the question, and the premier, Daniel Andrews, said on Monday 10 May that “…Airbnb will not take bookings. There won’t be bookings at hotels”. But there is no limiton how far one can travel throughout the state.
Unlike in other states, cafes and restaurants in Victoria are still unable to seat diners under the current rules. It’s unlikely that that will change within the next three weeks: Andrews said, “we will have more to say in full detail once we get to the point where we make decisions for June”.
Police officers are responsible for deciding who will receive penalties.
Penalties include on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals and $9,913 for businesses. Larger fines and even the possibility of criminal charges are also available.
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Tasmania
From Monday 11 May, the Tasmanian government has eased a number of coronavirus restrictions to allow:
20 people to attend funerals, up from 10
One aged care visit per week, from none
National parks to reopen for exercise, but only for people who live within 30km
People only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons and gatherings limited to two people. Exemptions include:
Shopping for supplies
Undertaking personal exercise
Attending medical or healthcare appointments
Seeking veterinary services
Providing social support or care to another person
Attending school or study, if unable to be done at home
Attending work or volunteering, if unable to be done at home
Performing essential maintenance or security inspections of other premises owned or occupied by the person
Attending another location if the person has a reasonable excuse in the opinion of the director of public health
An example of a “reasonable excuse” given by the premier’s office was clearing out a recently deceased relative’s house.
Households are allowed to have two visitors as long as physical distancing requirements can be met, except where “social support” is being provided. Tasmania has a broad definition of “social support. As such, families and couples who live apart can visit one another’s homes.
However, in public, the two-person gathering limit is strictly applied.
From 18 May, Tasmania will move to stage one, which will mean indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, up to five visitors to a home, and up to 10 people inside restaurants, cafe and other venues.
The premier confirmed that the state’s strict border controls will remain in place.
From 25 May, primary school students will return to school, as well as year 11 an 12 students. From 9 June, high school students from year 7 to 10 will also return to school. And from From 15 June, the state will move to stage 2, subject to health advice.
Stage two will kick off on 15 June.
Gatherings will increase to 20 people at a time, both indoor at outdoor. This means that up to 20 people will be able to attend religious gatherings and weddings, and up to 50 people will be allowed to attend a funeral.
Under stage two, people will be able to move around the state, go camping, and stay in overnight boats and holiday shacks. Gyms and bootcamps will open to 20 people, while beauty services including tattoo parlours would also be allowed.
Australian defence force members, the Tasmanian state emergency service and fire service volunteers have been enlisted to help carry out spot checks.
Fines could be as much as $16,800 or six months in jail.
Tasmania also requires that all non-essential travellers entering the state quarantine for a period of 14 days.
Western Australia
Western Australian has already seen perhaps the most significant easing of lockdown laws.
Currently, up to 10 people are allowed to gather publicly and privately. Residents are allowed to leave their homes for recreational activities including picnics, fishing, boating or camping.
Up to 10 people are allowed to attend a wedding. Open houses and display villages are allowed to operate, however public playgrounds, skateparks and outdoor gym equipment are closed, and restaurants and cafes are restricted to takeaway and home delivery.
WA’s border restrictions remain in place. These divide the state into nine regions that residents cannot move between without good reason.
Reasons for crossing include:
Travelling to work
Attending medical appointments
Transporting freight
Accessing groceries or supplies if these are not available in the current region
Returning home
Attending school or other educational institutions
Supporting family members where necessary
Compassionate grounds
But from Monday 18 May, restrictions will ease further, with the number of people allowed to gather indoors doubling from 10 to 20.
Premier Mark McGowan also announced that, from 18 May, cafes and restaurants – including dine-in services at pubs, clubs and casinos - will be allowed to seat 20 diners, as long as they follow the four sq metres per person rule.
Places of worship and community facilities, like libraries, will also be allowed up to 20 people inside.
Non-contact sport, outdoor and indoor fitness classes, and public swimming pools will be allowed to reopen to up to 20 participants at a time. The number of attendees at weddings and funerals will increase to 20 if held indoors, or 30 if outdoors.
From next Monday, travel to nearby regions will be allowed. Travel will still be restricted to remote communities in the Pilbara, Goldfields, and Kimberley.
It doesn’t look as though WA will be opening its borders to interstate travellers any time soon, though. As of midnight on 6 April only “exempt travellers” have been allowed in. This includes WA residents. A list of “exempt travellers” can be found here, and includes senior government officials, military personal and a range of essential workers.
McGowan said that hard borders “has been our strongest weapon in the fight against this virus” and “will likely be the final restriction that we lift”.
Officers can issue on-the-spot fines of $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 for businesses who disobey the rules.
The premier said drones would also be used to break up gatherings, flying over beaches, parks and other likely social hotspots and broadcasting messages about social distancing rules through speakers.
Australian Capital Territory
As of 8 May, gatherings of up to 10 people indoors and outdoors are allowed in the ACT. That includes boot camps, picnics, house inspections and auctions.
Indoor funerals will are allowed to have up to 20 attendees, while those taking place outside can have up to 30 attendees.
ACT chief minister Andrew Barr has advised Canberrans to avoid large crowds, keep 1.5m apart from others, continue to practice good hand hygiene and to “stay home” from work or school of they are sick.
He previously urged residents to stay at home, except for certain essential reasons.
These are:
Shopping for what you need – food and necessary supplies
Medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements
Exercise in compliance with the public gathering requirements
Work and study if you can’t work or learn remotely
ACT police officers would be issuing a warning in the first instance.
Guardian Australia understands that police have focused on enforcing the two-person gathering limits, not why people have left their homes.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory already commenced its three-stage plan to ease restrictions in the state in early May.
The NT currently has a 10-person gathering limit indoors and outdoors.
From Friday 8 May these were lifted for outdoor weddings and funerals. An unlimited number of people may attend as long as physical distancing can still be observed.
Since 1 May, Territorians have been allowed to use public swimming pools, go fishing with friends and play non-contact sports like golf or tennis and visit waterparks, as long as safe physical distancing can be observed.
National parks are also open for camping, swimming and hiking.
Since 15 May additional indoor activities have been permitted, as long as they take less than two hours. These include going to the gym, eating at a cafe or restaurant, visiting a museum or undergoing non-facial cosmetic procedures like manicures or tanning. Bars can reopen but alcohol can only be served with a meal.
Indoor weddings, funerals and religious activities will also be allowed.
From 5 June all businesses will be allowed to reopen as long as they have a Covid-19 plan. The two-hour limit will be lifted allowing night clubs, cinemas, tattoo parlours casinos and pokies to reopen. However physical distancing must still be observed.
All sporting activities will be allowed to restart from 5 June and spectators will be allowed to attend.
Currently, remote Indigenous communities have protections in place to stop non-essential visitors from entering, and quarantine periods for residents returning from community hubs. The protections will be assessed and potentially lifted on 18 June.
Gunner said that opening the NT border would be “dead last”.
The Northern Territory currently requires any non-essential travellers to self-quarantine in a hotel for a period of 14 days. As of 3 April, the traveller must pay for the expenses associated with this quarantine period.
South Australia
South Australia has not formally lifted any physical distancing laws, but the state never imposed the strict lockdowns seen in Victoria, NSW or WA.
South Australia opted not to enforce new two-person-gathering laws, but premier Steven Marshall had still urged people to follow these rules.
Since Monday 11 May, outdoor dining at restaurants and cafes has recommenced for groups of up to 10 people.
The changes, announced on Friday 8 May, fall into stage one of the state’s three-stage easing of restrictions.
In addition to those officiating, funerals are now able to have 20 people attend indoor ceremonies, and 30 outdoors. Non-contact sport, house auctions and open inspections have also resumed.
The state is also reopening university and Tafe tutorials, public libraries, pools, churches and community halls.
South Australia is the only jurisdiction to have eased its ban on caravanning, camping and regional travel in general.
The SA government has also already also welcomed students back into classrooms for term two.
On-the-spot fines of $1,000 still will only be applied to those who are gathering in groups larger than 10.
Marshall has also announced stage two of the state’s plan to ease coronavirus restrictions. From 8 June, South Australia will see the reopening of cinemas and theatres, seated dining, gyms and indoor fitness, galleries and museums, and beauty services. Sporting competition will also start back up, without spectators.
Future steps for consideration also include larger gatherings, reopening of nightclubs, pubs and bars, and easing state border restrictions and travel into protected communities. No date was given for when these steps could be implemented, though.
Social distancing rules must still be followed, and gatherings must abide by the one person per four square meters rules.
All people entering South Australia are required to undertake a 14-day quarantine.
This article was amended on 15 April 2020 to correct the statement that Queensland has announced a state of emergency. It is a public health emergency.
Due to the unprecedented and ongoing nature of the coronavirus outbreak, this article is being regularly updated to ensure that it reflects the current situation at the date of publication. Any significant corrections made to this or previous versions of the article will continue to be footnoted in line with Guardian editorial policy.
