Businesses, community groups urged to fill in COVID-safe plans as State Government forms go live
If you’re reopening your business or community group, you need a COVID-safe plan. And you just five days to get it in, if you want to reopen next week.
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Businesses and community organisations have five days to fill in their unique COVID-safe reopening plans, which must be kept onsite so authorities can check them if there are claims of breaking the rules, after launching late Tuesday.
Premier Steven Marshall on Monday announced the fast-tracking of phase-two restrictions being lifted, to now come in at the start of next week, urging people to go online and make a plan.
Mr Marshall said information explaining the new principles-based approach, which includes caps on patron numbers and requirements to socially distance, would be up that afternoon. However, the full COVID-safe plan application forms only launched at 4.30pm on Tuesday.
GO HERE TO BEGIN YOUR COVID-SAFE PLAN
Industry figures and business owners told The Advertiser it caused confusion, because they had expected to be able to begin the process immediately and prepare for a quick turnaround to open on Monday.
The further relaxation will allow organisations including pubs, churches and clubs to welcome up to 80 patrons. However, they will be required to maintain social distancing and have no more than 20 people in a distinct area.
That can include partitioning existing spaces to create new separate areas. A business with several premises will be required to complete a separate plan for each one.
Mr Marshall said he expected people would find the site user-friendly.
“When people see them, they will understand that they are not onerous,” he said. “We have clearly articulated what the principles-based approach is, so there will be no surprises.
“ It really is a form to make sure that we do capture what the individual organisation’s COVID-safe plan is.”
Opposition treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan said failing to make forms available on the same day as announcing the easing was “simply unacceptable”.
“Things have been hard enough for SA businesses over the past couple of months, the last thing they need is Government delays making life even harder,” Mr Mullighan said.
“We’ve already seen the pain and distress Steven Marshall’s bungled easing of restrictions caused restaurants, cafes and pubs last Friday.”
Earlier this month, a Government website crashed after being inundated with people trying to update their land-tax information after 370,000 letters were sent out in preparation for the July reforms.
Make your plan: covid-19.sa.gov.au/recovery/recovery-step-2
SA won’t buckle to border pressure
South Australia will maintain its strong border restrictions, despite pressure from the Federal Government to open.
Premier Steven Marshall on Tuesday dismissed the push to ease restrictions in the name of tourism.
“The Federal Government would like to open all the borders in Australia as quickly as possible, and we don’t want to keep them in place for one day longer than we need to,” he said. “At the moment, we need to keep those strong borders in place so that we can open up more of our economy.”
Queensland is not planning to open its borders until September. Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham warned states should not hold up plans for a trans-Tasman travel bubble.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it might be that “Sydneysiders can fly to Auckland before they can fly to Perth, or even the Gold Coast”.