Cinemas, Theatres, Concert Venues and Gyms Can All Reopen (in Western Australia) from 6 June

Y’all ready for this?

The National Cabinet, comprised of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australia’s premiers, got together today to talk about further lifting coronavirus restrictions across the country.

Though there were no major updates at the national level, PM Morrison said in a press conference Australia was making progress "far sooner than we could have ever imagined several months ago."

However, there’s no denying that some parts of the country are at different stages than others, with states such as WA, QLD and SA having closed their borders and seen active cases of COVID-19 drop to single digits.

And despite a recent outbreak in Western Australia as a result of a recently docked ship, WA Premier Mark McGowan has announced that his state will proceed to "Phase 3 of eased restrictions" from Saturday 6 June, becoming the first to open up cinemas, theatres and concert venues along with galleries, museums, zoos, arcades and amusement parks.

"Our Chief Health Officer has now advised, that due to WA’s hard border with the east remaining in place, Western Australia is now in a position to move ahead of the national advice," Premier McGowan posted to Facebook.

Great! So, what else can we do?

Those in Perth and greater WA will now be able to assemble in non-work indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people, with the 'capacity' rule changing to allow one person per two square meters. Restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs are also granted to serve alcohol without requiring punters to buy a meal. (Previously, you couldn’t just get a drink from a bar, as the government was attempting to stop barhopping and increases in community contact.)

Playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor gym equipment will be in use again from 6 June, with gyms, health clubs and indoor sports centres all able to offer the normal range of activities, including use of all gym equipment (provided they’re staffed at all times and cleaned regularly).

Full contact sports and training can also proceed.

In addition to the above, beauty therapy and personal care services will resume when Phase 3 begins. Rottnest Island will also reopen to the general public from 6 June.

"We all must continue to act responsibly, that means good physical distancing where possible and good personal hygiene," Premier McGowan warned.

"Because if we have an uncontrolled outbreak, I don’t want to have to place restrictions back on. We cannot afford to undo all our good work."

Okay! But will the cinemas really re-open on 6 June?

Luna Palace Cinemas in the suburb of Leederville has been aiming for a 10 – 12 July soft opening with the films The Booksellers, Shirley, It Must Be Heaven and Babyteeth, ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet on 16 July. (It’s not yet known if Tenet will stick to that date, given the fact that other nations may not be ready for the blockbuster launch.)

"We're thrilled, we’re really, really thrilled," Luna's marketing manager Leanne Casellas tells Student Edge in response to the surprise news of an early re-opening.

However, she adds that Luna is "unlikely" to be back in business on Saturday 6 June, and will instead stick with 10 – 12 July, adding that those dates could be "subject to change."

She says that the past few months have given them a "really good opportunity to deep clean everything." Nonetheless, they're looking forward to having bums back on seats, and recently conducted a survey of 6,000 patrons to gauge their interest in returning.

"Ninety per cent of people surveyed either said they were positive or really positive [about returning]," she says.

"We’ve been buoyed by that."

Elsewhere, the Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in Kingsley has remained in operation, showing family flicks Sonic the Hedgehog and Playing With Fire (which had all premiered prior to the cinema closures). Drive-ins elsewhere in the country had also been screening Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel, though all these features are now available on digital platforms. Palace Cinemas will otherwise reopen its cinemas in NSW from 2 July (with 65 per cent empty seats), showing The King of Staten Island, The High Note and Irresistible.

No word yet on when the major chains will lift their roller shutters again, though the Hoyts website says they're "re-opening soon".

What about the rest of the country?

Well, we’ll just have to await further guidance from the rest of the premiers. However, PM Morrison continues to urge caution and patience regarding the lifting of restrictions nationwide.

"We only just put step one in place and we are yet to know the full health impacts of that, so being able to speculate about what's beyond step three at this point is very, very difficult," he said.

"I can understand particularly in the entertainment sector they are keen to know when you can get more than 200 people in a theatre or the sporting codes to have crowds back. But at this stage it is not known and we'll step through each of the stages we've set out and make assessments and take the medical advice from experts."

Update (04/06/2020): Luna Palace Cinemas has announced they'll be moving up their opening to 2 July.

Header Image: Facebook (Luna Palace Cinemas)