Covid vaccine mandates scrapped for hospitality venues

Business owners across the Wide Bay are celebrating the end of Covid mandates as the Premier confirms pubs, restaurants and cafes will soon be open to all regardless of their vaccination status.

Hospitality businesses crippled by ongoing Covid restrictions, staff shortages and a lack of local diners are rejoicing after scoring a win – the end of mandates in time for Easter.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Tuesday restrictions requiring staff and customers to be vaccinated would ease from 1am Thursday, April 14.

The venues include pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants, theme parks, casinos and cinemas, weddings, showgrounds, galleries, libraries, museums and stadiums.

According to the Premier’s statement, vaccine requirements will still apply to visitors and workers in “vulnerable” settings including hospitals aged and disability care, prisons, schools and early childhood centres.

“More than 90% of Queenslanders aged 12 and over have been fully vaccinated,” the statement read

“The chief health officer advises we can now safely ease these settings and still maintain a high level of protection.”

For Odyssey Bistro owner Scott Thompson, who recently gathered leaders from the Fraser Coast’s hospitality industry for crisis talks, it’s welcome news.

“We are thrilled to have the vaccination mandates lifted,” Mr Thompson told the Chronicle

“Not only does this do wonders for the morale of hospitality businesses, it represents a progressive move towards a future with things returning to normal.

“Our focus is now on advertising and promoting our business to encourage customer to start returning and frequenting our bistro again. I’m sure we will be seeing a few faces we have not seen since pre-mandates.”

It comes after a previously announced six-month extension of Covid mandates signalled one hit too many for Hervey Bay hospitality business owners with some fearing they would not make it past the Easter break.

Predictions mandates and subsequent requirements for venues to police a customer’s vaccination status would be in place until at least October sparked an SOS from the people behind some of Hervey Bay’s best eateries who, together with Fraser Coast Councillor David Lee, called on the Queensland Government to reconsider the rules ahead of the long weekend.

Feeling their industry was being targeted over retail and other sectors and events which drew large crowds, the group, which recentlynot only about the mandates but also, general lack of traffic amid seven-day isolation fears, changes in dining-behaviour and staff shortages, called for a “level playing field”.

Among them was Kefi by the Bay owner Michelle Petrou.

She and husband Paris and valued team member Jacynta Muller have brought a touch of Greece to the Hervey Bay Esplanade but warn what first appeared to be a “recipe for happiness and success” is being soured by uncertainty.

“Many of our customers are of older years and even though they are vaccinated a large percentage are not going out to enjoy themselves … many of the younger generation are on low incomes and can’t afford to get Covid, so are not going out to spend what they can,” Mrs Petrou said

“So, our lovely cafe by the beach serves the brave-hearted amazing food and coffee, with smiles and enthusiasm while inside we are crying as we watch the business we have fought hard to build during the pandemic eaten away by rising costs, harder to source products and lack of customers.

“Will we be here after Easter? With the mandates in place, affecting our trade, such as it is. I think not.”

For the Petrous and those who are determined to keep their doors open despite the mental toll, the lack of explanation about why they are still subjected to rules and others aren’t, given the State Government claims Hervey Bay has some of the highest vaccination rates in the state, is becoming increasingly hard to swallow.

Councillor Lee had released a statement over the weekend saying some businesses were reporting up to a 40 per cent decline in operative revenue and called on the state leaders to relax the mandates ahead of the Easter with a 91 per cent vaccination rate across Queensland.

The timing was particularly important according to Hervey Bay Dayman General Store owner Matt Straight and Tres Salsas owner Jemima Nash who agreed last Easter should have been one of the busiest of the year but due to lockdowns in Brisbane and mask mandates turned out to be among the slowest.

Owner of Tres Salsas Jemima Nash Photo: Cody Fox

“It seems absurd that the vaccinated and unvaccinated can mingle in supermarkets, food courts, Bunnings and churches and yet not in hospitality venues such as restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs,” Cr Lee said in a statement to the Chronicle before the mandates were lifted

“It has become ingrained in the Fraser Coast Community to practice social distancing and hand hygiene … it now seems fallacious and illogical to continue the vaccine mandates.

“Let’s put an end to the vaccine mandates in hospitality venues.”

The Division 9 councillor (who said in his statement his views were his own and not those of the council) also pointed to the region’s 9.2 per cent unemployment rate and 16 per cent youth unemployment rate – the fifth worst in Queensland – and said it was vital “we have an economic and employment road map to support our community”.

David lee wants an end to mandates.

Nate and Seana Crowd run Fraser Coast Artisan Pasta Bar at the side of the Boat Harbour Drive Red Rooster complex where Blockbuster video used to be.

Last week they said in a statement the question needed to be raised as to why Bunnings on a Saturday morning, just metres from their business, or Aldi on its pandemonium sales days, “just two examples of many” were deemed less of a health risk than a safely socially distanced restaurant or cafe.

On Tuesday they told the Chronicle they were “grateful that we can return to the inclusive and hospitable approach that our industry stands for and not be at risk of reprimand”.

“We stand for businesses having fair trade and have consistently worked towards the mandates being dropped since they were first introduced,” they said in a statement

“So many business operators in our little town have done all they can to make noise to achieve this outcome and I am so proud of the fact that we got our narrative out there and have finally been heard”

Owner and head chef at Fraser Coast Artisan Pasta Bar Nate Crowd

Pie and Pastry Paradise owner Jodie Berkhout said the challenges in the hospitality industry had come one after another resulting in a perfect storm – “lack of staff, mandates, supply shortages, rising costs, soon higher wages and super expenses”.

“None of us want a handout,” she said

“Just a level playing field.”

In Gympie, uproar over restrictions on agricultural shows also sparked debate.

Its state MP Tony Perrett had sponsored a petition highlighting “how deeply agricultural show mandates are hurting” and tabled in state parliament with more than 6000 signatures.

The city’s show society president Deb Brown told the Gympie Times the loss of fundraising for many of the region’s smaller clubs, groups and schools would be felt across the community.

In response, a Queensland Health spokesperson said the risks from Covid were “not over yet, as demonstrated by the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases being reported”.

“Easing restrictions has always been a phased approach and managed sensibly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Queenslanders,” they said.