Brisbane lockdown: Business anger as ‘rug pulled out’

The hospitality industry has slammed southeast Queensland’s snap lockdown, saying businesses will unnecessarily suffer despite a low number of virus cases.

Battered businesses across the Brisbane and Moreton Bay regions fear millions of dollars in weekend trade will be lost if the snap lockdown is extended into next week.

The hopes of thousands of hospitality and retail businesses were dashed yesterday when Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed a lockdown would be extended for 24 hours to allow contact tracers time to analyse two new Covid-19 cases.

Restaurant and Catering CEO Wes Lambert slammed the 24-hour extension, declaring businesses would unnecessarily suffer despite Queensland not being overwhelmed with cases.

“The announcement that Brisbane and surrounding areas will remain in lockdown the start the weekend has pulled the rug out from under southeast Queensland’s hospitality industry,” he said.

“With school holidays currently occurring and the weekend approaching, businesses were looking forward to welcoming diners back into their businesses.

“Our sector deserves better than this.

“Instead, they will spent the weekend in another unnecessary and potentially politically motivated lockdown.”

Elizabeth Janke from Oh Boy Bok Choy. Picture: Josh Woning

Amanda Scott operates hospitality businesses Oh Boy Bok Choy at Stafford and Farmhouse at Kedron in Brisbane’s north.

She said the uncertainty around lockdowns made it tricky to organise staff and produce for peak weekend trade.

“It’s really difficult because last time there was a lockdown she ended it early,” Ms Scott said.

“This time we had everyone on standby for lunch and we had to turn around and say sorry you’re not needed for lunch, or dinner and probably not on Saturday either.

“It’s really, really hard for people to plan.

We sell 600 potato cakes a week at Farmhouse and we’ve been preparing them all week and now we have no trade.”

However Ms Scott remained grateful to be operating in Queensland, which has been far less affected by Covid-19 than New South Wales or Victoria.

The lockdown is the third to smash Queensland businesses this year, with each triggered by a low number of cases.

In January Greater Brisbane was plunged into its first snap lockdown after a hotel cleaner was infectious in the community with the UK variant of the virus.

A small outbreak at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in March triggered a second three-day lockdown after the state recorded four cases of community transmission – with two initially unlinked.

This month, one case of the highly-contagious Delta variant and several more potential exposure fronts prompted Ms Palaszczuk to order a three-day lockdown – now extended for at least 24 hours in Brisbane and the Moreton regions.

Australian Retail Association CEO Paul Zahra said lockdowns were not a long-term sustainable solutions for businesses to contain the virus.

“We have to learn to live with Covid and manage things in a responsible way that doesn’t decimate people’s businesses and livelihoods,” he said.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said Queensland businesses could not afford to live day-by-day almost 18 months after the pandemic hit.

“The Premier today did not offer any assistance or hope to small and family businesses who right now are disposing of thousands of dollars in stock and bookings,” he said.

“Restaurants, wedding planners, gym owners, florists, tourism and events operators and many others will be hit hard and yet the State Government has refused to put a dollar on the table.