Last updated: 27 May 2020 at 10.11am
From 18 May, restrictions have been relaxed as part of the COVID-19 WA roadmap to help get Western Australians back to work safely and begin the process of restarting the State’s economy.
A COVID Safety Plan must be completed by all businesses that are reopening or broadening their business model, such as those that were providing take-away and are expanding to provide a dine-in service.
The Closure and Restriction (Limit the Spread) Directions, issued under the Emergency Management Act 2005, specifies a range of “prohibited gatherings”, “affected places” and “prohibited activities” that are either restricted from operating, limits their activity or provides an exemption.
If a type of “affected place” or “prohibited activity” is not specifically listed in a Direction, then it can continue to operate, as long as it complies with physical distancing requirements.
A business owner/operator needs to consider the nature of their services and assess whether their services or premises are captured by the Directions.
Food and drink
|
Business, premises or place |
Exceptions |
|---|---|
|
Licensed venues (pubs, bars, taverns, restaurants, pop-up events, cellar doors, karaoke or special facility) |
Takeaway permitted from:
Dine-in is permitted up to a maximum capacity of 20 people excluding staff. Alcohol is only permitted to be served with a meal. Patrons must be seated while eating and drinking and adhere to the 4 square metre rule. |
|
Cafés |
Takeaway service and home delivery. Cafés or canteens at hospitals, care homes or schools; prison and military canteens; services providing food or drink to the homeless, and workplace canteens can provide takeaway. Dine-in is permitted up to a maximum capacity of 20 people excluding staff. Patrons must be seated while eating and drinking and adhere to the 4 square metre rule. |
|
Food courts |
Delivery and takeaway is allowed. |
|
Food vans |
Food vans can provide takeaway food options as long as they have approval to operate from specific locations from the relevant local government. |
|
Roadhouses and provision of food and drink to commercial or heavy vehicle drivers |
A roadhouse may provide a space for a truck driver to sit, rest and consume a meal/drink as long as compliance with the ‘Exemption for heavy vehicle drivers to safely manage fatigue’ is adhered to. The same applies for service to the homeless. For all other patrons, the roadhouse may only provide take-away or meal delivery services. Dine-in is permitted up to a maximum capacity of 20 people excluding staff. Patrons must be seated. |
Retail
| Business, premises or place | Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Auction houses | None |
| Real estate auctions | Private appointments only |
| Home opens and display homes |
A maximum of 20 people will be permitted to attend a home open or a home at a display village, however appropriate physical distancing and hygiene practices must continue to be observed. Attendees should practice physical distancing by keeping 1.5 metres from other people. A register, including names and contact details, of all attendees must be kept at all times. Alcohol hand sanitiser must be available at entry and each available exit, and must be encouraged to be used via signage or other means. |
| Outdoor and indoor markets | Fresh food markets will continue to operate in WA |
Beauty and personal care services
| Business, premises or place | Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Tanning, waxing, nail salons, tattoo parlours | None |
| Beauty therapy | Beauty therapy parlours etc. are able to open for retail purposes, however the provision of beauty therapy services remains prohibited. |
| Spas and massage parlours | None |
| Chinese and alternative medicine/therapies | There are no restrictions on the practice of alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, as long as such practices do not operate from an affected place e.g. a wellness centre or beauty parlour. |
| Float centres | Floatation therapy tanks when used for allied health purposes are permitted, as long as such treatment is not provided from an "affected place" e.g. a wellness centre. |
| Remedial massage | There are no restrictions on the provision of remedial massage therapy, as long as such treatment is not provided from an "affected place" e.g. a massage parlour. |
Entertainment venues
| Business, premises or place | Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Cinemas, nightclubs |
Indoor cinemas are not permitted to open. Drive-in cinemas are permitted to open, including food, drink and toilet facilities. Patrons must take all reasonable steps to keep at least 1.5 metres away from other patrons when using these facilities. |
| Casinos, gaming or gambling venues |
A number of TAB outlets are open as 'Deposit and Withdrawal Centres' for limited hours. Dine-in is permitted at bars and restaurants within the Crown Casino complex up to a maximum capacity of 20 people per bar/restaurant excluding staff. Alcohol is only permitted to be served with a meal. Patrons must be seated while eating and drinking and adhere to the 4 square metre rule. The gaming floor of Crown Casino is to remain closed for gambling purposes. |
| Adult entertainment venues | None |
| Concert venues, theatre, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums | Live streaming of a performance by a small group could be permissible with physical distancing observed. This must not exceed 20 people in total. |
| Amusement parks and arcades | None |
| Play centres (indoor and outdoor) | None |
Sport and recreation
| Business, premises or place | Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Dance studios |
Dance studios may re-open as long as there is 4 square metres of floor space in the venue for each person, up to a maximum of 20 participants in total at the venue, including spectators and dancers, not including instructors. Dancing that involves contact, for example ballroom dancing, can only be undertaken with a member of the same household. Equipment is not allowed to be shared in a session. It must be cleaned between every session. Participants should practice good hygiene and physical distancing by keeping 1.5 metres from other people. |
| Community and recreation centres |
Community facilities such as youth centres or senior citizens centres are permitted to open, with a 20 patron limit. There must be at least 4 square metres of floor space per patron. |
| Health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre and spin facilities, saunas, bathhouses and wellness centres |
Able to open only for fitness classes or small group training up to a maximum of 20 participants and there is 4 square metres of floor space per person, up to a maximum of 20 participants in total at the venue. Equipment is not allowed to be shared in a session. It must be cleaned between every session. This means you cannot use any gym machines, like Pilates reformers, weight machines, exercise bicycles, rowing machines, and treadmills. The general gym floor should not be accessible unless part of a supervised personal training session or fitness class as outlined above. |
| Boot camps, personal training operating outside and inside | Outside event limited to groups of up to 20 people, with physical distancing rules observed. Equipment is not allowed to be shared in a session. It must be cleaned between every session. |
| Social sporting-based activities | If the sporting activity is non-contact, and involves 20 people or less, then you can participate in that sporting activity. This includes non-contact training for sports that would ordinarily involve contact, such as basketball, football, soccer and netball. Importantly, playing the contact sport itself remains a prohibited sporting activity.
Sports which are non-contact in nature (such as cricket, lawn bowls and tennis) are permitted to be played. |
| Swimming pools |
All swimming pools may now open in a limited capacity. This includes pools as part of resorts, accommodation, retirement villages, swim schools and any other type of indoor or outdoor pool. They are restricted to a maximum of 20 patrons per pool which is also subject to one person per 4 square metres. Changerooms remain closed, but the toilets remain open. Venues with multiple pools can open 1 indoor pool and multiple outdoor pools.
|
| Golf courses |
Golf courses can continue to remain open as long as there is strict compliance with physical distancing requirements. Facilities restricted to a maximum of 20 patrons and are also subject to one person per 4 square metres. Changerooms remain closed, but the toilets remain open. |
| Tennis |
Outdoor tennis courts can continue to remain open as long as there is strict compliance with physical distancing requirements. Facilities restricted to a maximum of 20 patrons and are also subject to one person per 4 square metres. Changerooms remain closed, but the toilets remain open. |
| Non-contact recreational activities (private picnics in the park, fishing, boating, hiking and camping) |
Allowed, ensuring 20-person limit and physical distancing rules observed. Read more about camping and recreational activities. Campgrounds within national parks, reserves and State forests are open for bookings. |
Non-residential institutions
| Business, premises or place |
Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Galleries, museums, national institutions and historic sites |
None |
| Libraries and youth centres |
Libraries and community facilities such as youth centres or senior citizens centres are permitted to open, with a 20 patron limit and ensure there is at least 4 square metres of floor space per patron. Where a community premises has multiple facilities, there can be up to 20 customers in each facility (e.g. 20 patrons in group fitness room, and 20 patrons in youth centre, 20 patrons in library), as long as there is at least 4 square metres for each customer in the relevant facility. For libraries, a patron register of attendees’ full name, phone number, date and time of attendance must be kept. |
| Local government non-essential facilities and services (such as pools) |
All swimming pools may now open in a limited capacity. This includes pools as part of resorts, accommodation, retirement villages, swim schools and any other type of indoor or outdoor pool. They are restricted to a maximum of 20 patrons per pool which is also subject to one person per 4 square metres. Changerooms remain closed, but the toilets remain open. Permitted venues with multiple pools can only open a maximum of one indoor and one outdoor pool at a time, each with a maximum of 20 participants, including spectators and swimmers. |
| Community facilities (such as community halls, clubs, RSLs, PCYCs) |
Community facilities such as youth centres or senior citizens centres are permitted to open, with a 20 patron limit. There must be at least 4 square metres of floor space per patron. Where a community premises has multiple facilities, there can be up to 20 customers in each facility (e.g. 20 patrons in group fitness room, and 20 patrons in youth centre, 20 patrons in library), as long as there is at least 4 square metres for each customer in the relevant facility. |
| Places of worship |
Places of worship are permitted to open in a modified way, with a limit of 20 attendees in addition to the people required to conduct and broadcast the service (maximum of 10 people) and one person per 4 square metres. A patron register of attendees’ full name, phone number, date and time of attendance must be kept. |
| Weddings |
Up to 20 attendees (not including the person conducting the ceremony) are permitted at indoor weddings, or up to 30 attendees are permitted at outdoor weddings. Physical distancing and 4 square metres of floor space per person must be adhered to. |
| Funerals |
Up to 20 attendees can attend a funeral indoors or up to 30 attendees outdoors, not including the person/s necessary to conduct the service e.g. funeral director (unless the funeral is in a small indoor or outdoor venue and impacted by prohibited gathering rules which require at least 4 square metres per person). |
| Mine site facilities (pools, mess halls, gyms) |
Please visit Implementation Plan for COVID-19 Framework in the Resources Sector (PDF 284KB) for more information. |
Relaxed restriction information
Recreational fishers allowed restricted access to Rottnest Island waters
Recreational fishers who have crayfish pots set in waters off Rottnest Island will be granted restricted access to the area's exclusion zone to collect their equipment, under supervision from Rottnest Island Authority rangers.
Disembarking on the island itself is strictly forbidden, and recreational fishers must register with Rottnest Island Authority rangers by contacting 61 8 9372 9788 or rangers@rottnestisland.com.
Access for recreational fishers will be dependent on weather conditions and ranger availability.
Fishers are only permitted to access the exclusion zone to retrieve their equipment — with no further fishing or other recreational activity allowed.
Rottnest Island and its surrounding waters have been off limits to the public since 25 March, with the island being used as part of the State's response to COVID-19.
Elite athlete training
Elite athletes, part of the Western Australian Institute of Sport, can resume training as part of a staged return to operations following an exemption to the WA State of Emergency Closure and Restrictions Directions.
Initially, this will cover selected elite athletes across a range of competition selection trials for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Training will take place at HBF Stadium, WA Athletics Stadium, WAIS High Performance Service Centre, the Swan River and Fremantle waters. All training will be strictly controlled and conducted within all COVID-19 WA Government restrictions and guidelines, with emphasis placed on health and hygiene of all athletes and staff.
For more information see Western Australia’s Olympic hopefuls back to work.
TAB agencies
18 metropolitan and 4 regional TAB agencies are open for limited hours as 'Deposit and Withdrawal Centres' to assist:
- patrons who do not use an online account and can’t deposit or withdraw funds from their TAB accounts without the outlet being open
- some small business agents to manage the impacts of COVID-19.
Trading hours:
- weekdays 3pm to 6pm
- Saturday 9am to 6pm
- Sunday 9am to 12pm.
Strict physical distancing measures will be in place — more than other retail outlets, such as supermarkets. These include the following measures:
- Only 4 patrons at a time are allowed.
- Deposit and withdrawal operations only — similar to banks, post offices and newsagencies.
- Operator terminals will be 3 metres apart.
- No audio or vision of wagering content will be displayed.
- No other wagering activity is allowed.
View the full list of TAB Deposit and Withdrawal Centres.
COVID-19 advice in other languages
Information and advice translated in languages other than English.
