Canberra's cinemas, stadiums and theatres will be able to increase capacity when COVID-19 restrictions ease on Friday, October 9.
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ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman announced the territory would be moving to stage three, step 3.2 restriction because of the success with take up of contact-tracing methods and lack of cases in the ACT and surrounds.
As of 9am next Friday, all gatherings can increase in size to 200 people.
Medium-sized hospitality venues with total usable space between 101 and 200 square metres can have maximum 50 people excluding staff.
Cinemas will be able to operate at up to 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 200 people.
For large indoor seated venues, ticketed events will be able to be up to 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 1000 people.
Enclosed outdoor venues with permanent seating and grandstands will also be able to host ticketed events to 50 per cent capacity up to 1000 people.
Canberra stadium and Manuka Oval will also be able to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity.
Dr Coleman said she was considering the possibility of relaxing restrictions further so that outside areas of venues could have person per two square metres, but a firm decision would be made by Thursday next week. If this measure is approved, it will come into force at 9am, on October 9.
She said the next formal COVID-safe checkpoint on the recovery plan would be November 6.
"I'm sure that you'll all understand that these changes are not about filling venues with customers to an uncomfortable or an impractical level," Dr Coleman said.
"They are about how best we return to business as usual in the ACT in our new cautious and COVID-safe way, acknowledging that as we increase the number of people coming together in businesses and venues and events, we need to appropriately manage the risks."
It has been more than 12 weeks since there was a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the ACT.
There are now 700 venues around Canberra using the Check in CBR app to collect contact details of patrons. The app has been downloaded by more than 13,000 people since it launched three weeks ago.
Australian Hotels Association general manager Anthony Brierley welcomed the easing of restrictions.
"The pandemic is not over, and restrictions on the hospitality industry will continue," Mr Brierley said.
"The ACT hospitality industry will continue to be COVIDSafe. We will prove that the new patron limits are safe.
"We will continue to demonstrate our COVIDSafe credentials, so that in due course restrictions can be eased to allow one patron per 2 squares in both inside and outside spaces."
Dr Coleman said event organisers needed to have the ability to scale events up and down to suit restrictions.
Floriade and Summernats have both had to be put off because of COVID-19 restrictions and, in the case of the latter, availability of venue which is in use as a drive-through testing site.
"Obviously we would hope to continue to ease restrictions in a in a careful and checkpoint kind of way moving forward, but I think everybody needs to be to have that ability in place to scale up and down, particularly for events, well into the future," Dr Coleman said.
The chief health officer said the movement of people during the school holidays, combined with easing border restrictions, presented an increased risk of transmission of the virus. It is hoped by the November 6 checkpoint, any new cases generated during the school holidays would have been picked up.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the national cabinet meeting scheduled for today was postponed for two weeks' time due to the federal budget.
He said leaders would be discussing state and territory border restrictions, repatriation of stranded Australians and the travel bubble with New Zealand at that meeting.
"I'm pleased that other state jurisdictions have in the last few weeks opened their borders to ACT residents," Mr Barr said.
"Common sense is prevailing in the safe movement of people around the country. The efforts of Canberra Airport to work with new airlines to provide direct connections for Canberrans to be able to see their family and friends has been important also."
Dr Coleman encouraged Canberrans with symptoms of COVID-19 to get tested in light of a gradual decrease in the number of people getting swabbed in the ACT each day.
She said people with spring allergies should get a COVID-19 test the first time they experience symptoms and then visit their doctor or a respiratory assessment clinic to discuss the difference in symptoms.