Queensland vaccine mandate for cafes and food courts ‘makes no sense’: Gillies Cafe

A Far North cafe owner says “if we’re worried about people catching Omicron, how the hell can they be serious when they let a food court be packed” as he loses staff to the latest mandates. VOTE IN THE POLL

A FAR Northern cafe owner who lost a valuable unvaccinated staff member is livid at a lack of explanation for how certain businesses are considered exempt from the latest mandates.

Gillies Cafe owner Ian Fielding last week expressed his frustrations over state government departments when requesting written advice in relation to the termination of an unvaccinated staff member.

Now, he says multiple questions to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath and the Department of Health have been met with sympathy, but ultimately gone unanswered.

Tablelands cafe owner Ian Fielding is asking why unvaccinated people can go to large food courts in Queensland, but there is a mandate on small businesses like his cafe.Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Fielding, a former Cairns Central and Smithfield Shopping centre food court restaurant owner, has been asking how unvaccinated people can attend large, public food courts, while businesses like his cafe were mandated.

“It makes no sense. If we’re worried about people catching Omicron, how the hell can they be serious when they let a food court be packed?” he asked.

“Everyone I spoke to, including liaison officers at Yvette D’Ath’s office and Queensland Health said ‘surely this can’t be right, we need to do something about this.’

“But they’ve done nothing.”

Queensland Health was contacted and asked to confirm Mr Fielding’s query and why food courts were exempt from proof of vaccination.

However in an email exchange between Mr Fielding and a health department officer, seen by the Cairns Post, the department told the cafe owner: “Non-essential businesses (ones to which restrictions for unvaccinated persons applies) must take reasonable steps to enforce the restrictions, including displaying the vaccination rules and asking for evidence of vaccination from both staff and customers.”

But the department did not explain why food courts were exempt.

Food courts were virtual ghost towns early in the pandemic. In Queensland, they remain open to unvaccinated people.

Mr Fielding also contacted Hill MP Shane Knuth who in December tabled a question with notice to the Premier, with a response now due in January.

“Can the Premier explain the logic behind the current proposal which states food courts will be open for everyone and big corporate fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s be allowed to accept unvaccinated patrons indoors to place a takeaway order, but small business restaurants and cafes will not be able to sit at a table distanced from others, or serve takeaway indoors to unvaccinated patrons,” the question read.

A Queensland Health spokesperson said: “Measures that Queensland Health have implemented in response to Covid-19 are based on the best expert medical advice to prioritise the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders.

“Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from Covid-19. We urge anyone yet to get vaccinated to do so.”

Originally published as Queensland vaccine mandate for cafes and food courts ‘makes no sense’: Gillies Cafe