The Parade ‘quietest it’s been in 35 years’ as businesses plead for help to withstand tough Covid restrictions
Hospitality owners say uncertainty around Covid exposure sites is killing Christmas trade, with customers staying home for fear of being ordered into quarantine.
Coronavirus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Coronavirus. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bath Hotel owner Tony Franzon says he’s enduring the quietest time The Parade has seen in his 35 years on the strip.
It comes as business owners across the city and regions echo calls for government assistance – and an easing of the rules governing border controls and social distancing restrictions.
They say current rules are causing tourists to cancel plans to travel and making people avoid suburbs where positive cases have attended venues.
“I’ve had the quietest week I’ve ever seen in 35 years,” Mr Franzon said, in the wake of the Norwood cluster spurred by a positive case attending the Theatre Bugs venue.
He said the state government should relax restrictions like “every other jurisdiction in Australia”.
“If we’re going to open up, let’s open up and run the gauntlet,” Mr Franzon said.
At Hyde Park, King William Road eatery Hello Neighbour Artusi By Night closed for cleaning on Saturday after a staff member noticed late on Friday night that SA Health had listed the business as an exposure site.
Owner Fillippo Ludovici said the business was not contacted by SA Health until Saturday afternoon, after it had already cancelled its bookings and five staff went into isolation.
He said his business was among those on the strip noticing a drop in diners, because people were scared to go out and risk being forced to isolate later.
Simone Ellery, owner of neighbouring Parisi’s Restaurant, said her business was originally listed as a casual contact site for November 29, then that changed to November 30, causing mass confusion and cancellations among customers.
But she said SA Health did not name it as an exposure site until the end of that week, raising questions over whether it was worth the loss in revenue business eateries like hers suffered after being publicly named.
Meanwhile, a group of 20 tourism operators are threatening to close for three weeks over the festive season if they don’t receive financial assistance from the state and federal governments to withstand slow business.
See Adelaide & Beyond owner Dallas Coull said the companies operating throughout the state were fielding cancellations associated with uncertainty over whether the state’s borders would stay open.
They had lost customers from WA, Queensland and Tasmania, which had all tightened up their borders, while most people from Victoria, ACT and NSW who travelled here were visiting friends and family amid strict testing rules.
An SA Health spokeswoman said restrictions and quarantine requirements were in place to allow Covid-19 to enter SA in a controlled and safe manner, while vaccination rates increased.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation in South Australia to assess what measures are required to keep our communities safe and to assist our health services,” she said.
“While best efforts are made to contact businesses before they are listed publicly, the health and safety of all South Australians is always the priority and details may need to be released before businesses are informed.”
Premier Steven Marshall said the government’s Covid response had ensured South Australia had the nation’s fastest-growing economy.
“In the past four months alone, we have paid more than $106m in cash grants to support local businesses and jobs, particularly those in the tourism, hospitality and events sector that have been hard hit by Covid,” Mr Marshall said.
‘It can be fatal’: Health warning for SA babies as RSV spike climbs
A health alert has been issued to SA parents after a shock spike in RSV cases presenting to emergency rooms – with more than half being young children under the age of 5.
New emergency ‘threats’ putting SA at risk, landmark inquiry finds
The Covid pandemic, River Murray flood crisis, bushfires and statewide blackout were all declared major emergencies over past 20 years. Now, a major inquiry identifies new threats risking state.