Cairns Covid rules: Far North restaurants still open despite cases
Cairns bars and restaurants are under increasing financial pressure as they struggle to serve customers despite losing staff waiting for Covid test results.
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THE heat is on for Far North bars, cafes and restaurants battling to stay open and provide a service, despite staff absences.
Hundreds of hospitality workers locked down at home while in a PCR test limbo which has crippled the Far North restaurant and cafe sector.
A staff vacuum has forced many well-known venues to shut down for a spell as Covid runs rampant through the city.
A record spike of 555 Covid cases was added to Cairns’ tally on Friday.
Ochre general manager Carley Elsum said the popular waterside restaurant was four staff members down due to testing delays. She said every day was a battle to stay open.
“When you have minimal staff (and) take four out, it doesn’t leave you with many options,” Ms Elsum said.
She said Ochre was reluctant to turn customers away, but insisted calling staff into work who had symptoms was not an option.
“That’s not OK,” she said.
“If staff have symptoms they need to stay at home, if staff work with symptoms that is not going to be good in the long run.”
An Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation spokesman said generally there had been a high level of compliance at licensed venues but directions to close and fines had been issued.
Edge Hill’s Noa Eat Drink was one eatery cleared of any wrongdoing after police responded to an allegation.
Owner Sam Byrd confirmed the Collins Ave restaurant had been the subject of a probe.
“We have had the police out to investigate the allegation and we have been cleared,” he said.
“They have come out and found there has been no wrongdoing.
“It would not be in our best interest to have that happening.”
Cairns Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Patricia O’Neill urged customers to be patient and understanding at short-staffed venues doing their best to comply with the rules.
“We are advocating for businesses to work with the mandate and not get into any trouble,” she said.
“And for the people to take a deep breath and stop and think before taking to social media and damaging brands if they have not had a great experience.”
Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Hodgman said Far North District police would be out in the community conducting compliance checks to ensure adherence to directions of the chief health officer.
“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action when necessary,” he said.
“We’ll also be ensuring mask compliance and while we take an educational and commonsense approach, we will issue fines for blatant disregarding of the CHO directions.”
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Originally published as Cairns Covid rules: Far North restaurants still open despite cases
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