South Australia will ease some COVID restrictions on outdoor hospitality, the fitness industry and home gatherings, despite recording seven new COVID-related deaths.
A man in his 70s, three women and a man in their 80s, and a man and a woman in their 90s who tested positive have died.
The state has recorded an additional 1,639 COVID cases, with 14,528 active cases currently in the state.
Premier Steven Marshall said 206 people were in hospital, including 16 in intensive care and five on ventilators.
Mr Marshall announced that from midnight, pubs, bars and restaurants will be able to lift their capacities for patrons from 50 per cent to 75 per cent, but only in outdoor areas.
A ban on standing consumption of food and beverages will also be lifted, but only in outdoor areas.
The 50 per cent density limit indoors will remain.
Home gathering limits will be lifted from 10 to 50 people.
Density limits on the fitness industry will be eased from one person per seven square metres, to one person per four square metres.
Mr Marshall said 50 per cent of employees could return to their workplace from Monday, up from the 25 per cent that have been allowed in for the past fortnight.
Mr Marshall urged people to wear masks at indoor workplaces.
"This is still a highly transmissible variant, we want to make sure we can do everything we can to ease those restrictions but not have a second wave in South Australia," he said.
Mr Marshall said the previous round of eased restrictions, which came into effect a fortnight ago, had gone "extraordinarily well".
"Our hospital capacity is there, at the moment we've got fewer numbers of people taking up those hospital beds and that's what's given us the confidence to further reduce those restrictions down," he said.
Mr Marshall said he was confident the relaxing of restrictions would not put "undue pressure" on the hospital system.
"But what it will do, I think, is ease the burden on households and businesses, particularly the fitness sector, the hospitality sector, the catering sector in South Australia and, of course, will drive more people back to work," he said.
More restrictions will be eased in a fortnight.
SA death rate higher than other states, Labor says
Meanwhile, the SA Opposition said there had been a disproportionate number of COVID-linked deaths in SA, compared to other jurisdictions, and said that the majority have been in aged care.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said federal data revealed 1.2 deaths per 1,000 COVID cases — a fatality rate that is "higher than any other state or territory".
"There have been more deaths in South Australia per COVID case this year than in any other state, and those families do deserve answers — these aren't just statistics," he said.
"Roughly two thirds of the deaths that we've seen sadly this year have been in residential aged care.
"Federal statistics show that 90 South Australians this year have died [with COVID] in aged care, and that compares to 131 South Australians who have died with COVID this year overall."
There have been 146 reported COVID-linked deaths in SA since the start of the pandemic, and the vast majority of those occurred since borders reopened in November.
"The government haven't released statistics in terms of the breakdown of Omicron versus Delta for people who have sadly passed away in South Australia but we understand the vast majority are Omicron," Mr Picton said.
"People were told, by various reports, this [Omicron] is not as serious but clearly it can be.
"There has been an issue in South Australia in terms of particularly protecting people in aged care.
"There's still some people in aged care who've been unable still to get a booster dose, let alone before Christmas, let alone before the borders opened."
When asked about the fatality rate of 1.2 per 1,000 cases, Mr Marshall said he had not seen that statistic but that the state's infection, hospitalisation and death rate per capita was "very low".
"But we can't become complacent about it. We've got to make sure we're doing everything we can," he said.
