Tweed's stark warning for Qld as business drops 80 per cent after NSW's 'Freedom Day'
Trade for hospitality businesses over the border has fallen off a cliff with up to an 80 per cent reduction as service is limited to fully vaccinated patrons.
Gold Coast
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TWEED hospitality businesses have reported a drop in trade of up to 80 per cent in the first week of reopening to only fully vaccinated patrons.
They have now issued a stark warning to the Queensland hospitality and tourism sector as the Sunshine State eagerly counts to down to its Christmas border reopening.
Several Tweed business owners are urging their neighbours over the border to prepare now and heed their warnings to avoid facing a similar fate.
Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club general manager Phil Kelly said many clubs in the area had 80 per cent less trade on day one of the stage one reopening on October 11.
From this date, only fully vaccinated people were allowed to enter hospitality businesses.
“It was terrible. At the moment we’re 75 per cent down for the week,” Mr Kelly said.
“We’re just not getting the traffic.”
The club – which usually goes through 30 kegs of beer on a normal weekend – sunk just nine kegs over the past Saturday and Sunday.
With only 60 to 70 per cent of residents in the area fully vaccinated, Mr Kelly said the difficulty in predicting patron numbers each day had forced the club to reduce trading hours.
Murwillumbah Services Club chief executive Guy Diven said trade had “gone backwards” since the reopening.
“The rules on October 11 became far more restrictive for us than what they were on October 10.
“We’ve had a 50 per cent drop in members visiting the club.”
Mr Diven urged Queensland businesses to start preparing now for the reopening.
Twin Towns Clubs & Resorts chief executive Rob Smith described the past week as “very slow” and reported a 50 per cent drop in trade.
“About half of our customers are not double vaccinated and that’s reflected in the amount of people coming into the club.”
Stage two of NSW’s reopening was achieved on Monday, based on 80 per cent double dose targets, with more easing of restrictions.
A further easing will occur on November 1 before the final stage of reopening for unvaccinated people on December 1.
The Bulletin contacted NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s office for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.
Earlier this month, a group of 15 Tweed businesses held crisis talks fearing backlash from anti-vaxxers for following the NSW government’s double-jabbed entry requirements.
Mr Smith said Tweed businesses had copped flak from members of the public through dozens of calls and emails questioning the vaccine entry requirement.
Businesses have since reported the vast majority of patrons have been happy to follow the rules.
Tweed businesses left in fear of anti-vaxxers - October 7
TWEED hospitality businesses already on their knees have been dealt a double blow as they face backlash from anti-vaxxers and a drop in patronage under NSW’s reopening road map.
Representatives from 15 businesses stretching from Tweed to Murwillumbah held a crisis summit on Wednesday to form a united front and address community concerns.
One attendee Twin Towns Clubs & Resorts CEO Rob Smith said there was a “misunderstanding” from community members that clubs were making up their own rules.
Laws come into play in NSW on Monday that state only the fully vaccinated can visit restaurants, bars and retail and patrons must be able to prove it.
Last week, it was revealed anti-vaxxers had waged war on the club after it told members and visitors only vaccinated people would be allowed in the premises from October 11.
Club management said the policy was in line with NSW’s three-stage road map as a way forward for all clubs.
Twin Towns advised “unvaccinated people would have the opportunity to enjoy the same freedoms as those who have received their double vaccination” from December 1’’.
Mr Smith said Tweed businesses had copped flak from members of the public through dozens of calls and emails questioning the vaccine entry requirement.
“At the moment, the feedback is through phone calls and emails,” he said.
“From Monday, we have staff coming to work to do their job.
“The very last thing we want is for people’s views to create a hostile environment.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding that clubs can decide which rules we enforce and which rules we don’t enforce.
“My number one message (to the community) is about respect.
“Respect the people who are undertaking their job and understand this criteria is something that is put in place for the health and safety of the community.”
Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club general manager Phillip Kelly said his staff had dealt with abusive phone calls, letters and emails.
“We’re looking at different measures such as security,” Mr Kelly said.
“We know that we’re going to have a lot of objections, we’re trying to minimise that as best we can.”
If businesses do not comply with the new rules they face on the spot fines of $5000, which can be dire for an organisation like the Cudgen Headland Surf Lifesaving Club.
“It’s a huge amount of money,” general manager Greg Swift said.
“In our club it’s very difficult because we do have a lot of volunteers and it’s very intertwined so it’s a challenge.”
With only 52 per cent of Tweed residents double vaccinated, Mr Smith feared clubs would also face a drop in patronage until December 1.
He said business owners also raised concerns during the summit about the wait for vaccine passports to be integrated with the Service NSW app.
“People have to manually show their vaccine passport on either their smartphone or a piece of paper when entering clubs,” he said.
“That’s until the (integration) is finished – which could be weeks away.”
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