PUNTERS have returned to pubs in Australia after a two-month coronavirus lockdown – but fears remain that up to a quarter may never reopen.

Pubs, restaurants, and bars are gradually being allowed to reopen across the country, which has recorded only 7,019 cases and 98 deaths since the beginning of the crisis.

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Businesses across Australia were forced to close on March 23 as confirmed cases were beginning to rise.

The country has recorded no more than 26 daily new cases for almost a month, and each of its six states bar Victoria is now morning to reopen pubs and restaurants.

Pictures showed locals venturing out for the weeks time in weeks to meet family and friends, though most establishments remain limited to only ten patrons at a time.

The lockdown has had a devastating effect on Australia's economy, with figures yesterday showing record-high job losses in spite of a AUSD 130billion federal government scheme to subsidise workers' wages.

Speaking today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "While there isn't too much to be celebrating with the difficult circumstances we face, and particularly yesterday's unemployment numbers, it is welcome sign that we are on the way back.

"As businesses and cafes and others are opened up this weekend, those businesses know that just ten patrons at a time won’t necessarily be a profitable patronage for them to really sustain that.

"[But] they’re backing themselves, they’re backing their staff, they’re backing their communities and they’re backing their country."

He added that the scale of the task of reopening Australia's economy while keeping the virus contained should not be underestimated.

LOCKDOWN LIFTED BY JULY

Morrison has outlined a three-stage plan to remove almost all lockdown measures by July.

Under Australia’s federal system, the implementation of the three-stage plan is the responsibility of individual states and territories, meaning different parts of the country are following individual timetables.

In NSW, where schools are also slowly reopening, people can have five guests and public gatherings are limited to ten.

In the Northern Territory, where case numbers have been low and there have been no deaths, pubs are opening with no restrictions on patron numbers and there are no limits on public gatherings or house visits.

Lockdown measures remain in place across Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state.

Yesterday's figures showed employment falling 594,300 and the employment rate jumping a full point to 6.2 percent in the month to April 20.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Wes Lambert, chief executive of Australia's Restaurant and Catering Industry Association, said he expected only 75 percent of business to survive.

"We expect thousands of hospitality businesses to close due to this crisis but we are optimistic for the future," he said.

"Our advice [is] it’s better to stay open for takeaway and delivery, to keep contact with your customers and community, than to try and shut and re-open on the other side.

"Once those doors close, more often than not they close for good."

Governments across Europe are also beginning to take tentative steps to reopen their economics.

In Italy, at one point the global epicentre of the pandemic, shops as well as bars, restaurants, and hairdressers are to be allowed to reopen from next week.

In the Netherlands, bars will begin reopening their outdoor areas, while restaurants, cinemas, and museums will also begin opening with strict social distancing measures in place.

In Spain, a number of provinces are beginning a four-phase plan to ease their lockdowns, with hotels, bars, and restaurants opening, again with limited capacity and mandatory social distancing.

In the UK, the Government has said that pubs, hairdressers and cinemas will only be allowed to reopen once the UK passes five tests.

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