Adelaide indoor play centres fume after being kept closed, while pubs, cafes allowed more people

Pubs can now have more people but indoor play centres are furious they still can’t open while others “get trashed in nightclubs”.

Gyms will remain capped at a quarter capacity while play cafes will remain shut for the next 10 days despite hospitality changes as frustrated owners hit out at conflicting rules.

The state’s Transition Committee has refused to change gym and fitness class density from a current one per four sqm to half capacity that was allowed for licensed venues.

The committee, which overruled advice from chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, also declined to allow play cafes to open before December 14.

Home gathering requirements, which Prof Spurrier has warned were “high risk”, will also not change from current caps of 10 per home.

Joshua Baker had mixed emotions after six of his hospitality venues could open but his Funtopia indoor adventure park, at Prospect, remained closed during a busy 10 days.

He said over the past few weeks he had lost “tens of thousands of dollars” from cancelled bookings.

Stefanie Rossi, Travis Hobbs, Joshua Baker, Demi Vermeer, Claudia Shelby are frustrated Funtopia Prospect indoor adventure park is still closed. Picture: Sam Wundke

He said his business took every customer’s details already, which would help with any contact tracing, while hygiene levels were of the highest of standards due to children playing on equipment “regardless of a pandemic”.

“I am devastated, as it does feel like unfair,” he said. “I don’t really see how we are different. I can’t open and I can’t see why. Schools are open, so are childcare centres yet we can’t.”

Julie Sofia, of Lollipop’s Playland and Cafe in Golden Grove, said there was “no logic” while restrictions eased elsewhere. “Everything is open apart from us,” she said.

“In the last shut down we were closed along with gyms, pokies and nightclubs because they were all considered high risk, and this time they’re all open and we’re still shut.

“So you can go get trashed at a nightclub but you can’t come to a clean play cafe.

“The mental health issues are rife for everybody at the moment. The most frustrating thing is we’re being ignored – no one will answer phone calls, no one will give us answers … we’re just left in the lurch, waiting.”

Former Crows player James Podsiadly, who runs large recreation centre AFL Max, said the industry wanted to work with the government to find a solution “and work out ways businesses can continue to operate and create the experiences we’re creating for kids and improve their wellbeing”.

David Walker of Treehouse Adventure Centre in Mt Gambier said there was no data to support claims they were a “threat”.

“We’re missing out on all the tourism that’s coming through our region now and we’re going to miss the start of the school holidays,” he said.

“We’re living off credit cards. We’ve got staff having to live off what they’ve saved.”

Fitness Australia SA manager, Steve Grace, said the industry was “frustrated” at caps on the state’s 350 gyms as international research showed there was less risk than hospitality.

Industry research also showed no cases of transmission had occurred in any gym despite more than 9 million check-ins this year.

“It is a little bit disappointing,” he said. “We feel we should be included in the changes. We are still a bit confused why we are so high risk.”

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, who authorised the changes as state COVID co-ordinator, said the “step change concession” took into account current circumstances.

“We will continue to monitor. We understand, this is an imposition on them.

“But we’re trying to find that balance that satisfies the community’s expectations and requirements at this time but still manages to give us some capacity to deal with COVID-19.”