Pressure to ditch all COVID-19 bans amid protest anger
An outspoken wedding boss is planning a hospitality industry event at one of his Sydney venues following anger over restrictions while protests were given the green light. It comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared NSW was “very close” to dumping remaining rules.
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An outspoken wedding director who is threatening to open his venues in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions will hold an industry event tonight as the Premier revealed NSW was “very close to lifting remaining restrictions.”.
Navarra Venues advertised the “Save Our Industry Summit” on social media last night and a company spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph the gathering will be held outside at the Le Montage venue in Lilyfield.
It comes as multiple industries are threatening to rebel against the rules, following the weekend’s protests where thousands of people freely marched through Sydney.
Earlier in the week, Gladys Berejiklian reminded event operators that $55,000 fines would be handed out to businesses that broke COVID rules.
Despite this, Ms Berejiklian has told colleagues she wants NSW to be the first state to completely ditch COVID restrictions, to put the state in the best economic position.
The state government is preparing an imminent announcement on the reopening of food courts.
But as the state reached a milestone of two weeks with no community acquired cases of COVID-19, the Premier asked for patience, telling The Daily Telegraph: “We are now very close to lifting most of the remaining restrictions which will keep as many people as possible in jobs”.
“We were fast to introduce COVID-19 restrictions to tackle the spread of COVID-19 head on, and I’m determined that NSW will now move fastest to be the first state out of them,” Ms Berejiklian said.
WEDDING VENUES
After vowing to open his venues to “any numbers” from next month following Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protests, Navarra Venues CEO Sal Navarra has now written to the Health Minister voicing his “concerns and frustrations” about the current rules.
In the letter to Brad Hazzard, Mr Navarra argued that a supreme court decision to allow an anti-racism rally in the city on Saturday “surely … gives the event industry the green light to fully open”.
Mr Navarra said event spaces are “contained” environments, and can operate with COVID-safe measures, including temperature checks and social distancing.
“At present what I can see around me are people applying these rules sparingly while I have empty venues with distressed clients having to postpone their dates for a second time,” he said.
On Wednesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the Health Minister said it was unlikely Mr Hazzard had yet seen the letter.
Coronavirus rules currently restrict the number of people allowed on a premises at any one time to 100, or 500 if the premises is “predominantly” an outdoor space. Only one person per four square metres is allowed. “Public gatherings” are limited to 10 people.
“If the Health Minister comes back and says you’re not allowed to do it, then I will go to court. I will take it to court,” he said.
Australian Restaurant and Catering Industry Association CEO Wes Lambert said wedding operators “have felt frustration at their current situation given the numbers seen at some protests over the weekend”.
But the industry group called for businesses to work with the government.
“Everyone would like to open, but we need to work together. We can’t take things into our own hands,” head of Doltone House group Paul Signorelli said.
Exhibition venues are also calling for more clarity about easing of restrictions.
“Without certainty to return soon, many of the events in the market at present will simply disappear for good and the roll on effect will be huge,” Expertise Events Managing Director Gary Fitz-Roy said.
FOOD COURTS
It can be revealed food courts will be the next frontier with others to follow, including the government allowing all sporting codes to open corporate boxes to keep them in line with restaurant rules.
The government believes allowing food courts to recommence activity in shopping centres will assist with driving retail traffic, and will alleviate a problem emerging of shoppers congregating outside centres.
One option is for food courts to be asked to limit the available seating areas in order to keep them safe and in line distancing rules.
It comes as some industries threatening to throw open their doors in the wake of the weekend’s anti-racism protests have been warned they will face hefty fines, despite growing anger that strict restrictions are still in place after 20,000 people gathered in the city.
Grieving relatives who were denied exemptions to strict limits on funeral numbers also vented their anger at the government.
Ms Berejiklian yesterday urged the state to move on after the huge protests, which had been allowed by Police.
“As disappointing as it was we need to draw a line in the sand and move forward,” she said.
FUNERALS
Mourners who have recently laid their loved ones to rest are also angry that protests were allowed to go ahead, while their requests for more people at funerals were knocked back.
Albion Park man Geoff Kyngdon, whose wife Marylin died on May 16, was last month denied a request to have an additional 10 people at her funeral.
The couple were married for 47 years.
Mr Kyngdon said being denied the exemption was a “very painful process”.
“The insult adding to the injury is the blasé way the government has handled this matter (of the protests),” he told the Telegraph.
“I’m a Liberal supporter but I don’t support bad decisions.”
He said he was speaking out in the hope other mourners denied large funerals “will realise they are not alone”.
Asked what she would say to people who have been denied exemptions to strict rules on funerals, Ms Berejiklian said: “I say respectfully that the restrictions are in place to keep people safe and they’re based on health advice.
“If the health advice changed today or tomorrow we would move quickly to adjust the health orders.”
FOOTY
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has launched an audacious bid to have NRL fans back in grandstands by this weekend and ANZ Stadium hosting 40,000 within a fortnight, declaring: “It’s time to let the NRL loose.”
In a huge boost for NSW sports fans, Mr Barilaro told The Daily Telegraph he wants COVID-19 restrictions dramatically eased in time for crowds to attend the Thursday Night Football clash between Manly and Brisbane in Gosford with social distancing, but followed by the scrapping of all restrictions entirely by July 1.
The Deputy Premier also wants NRL blockbusters moved to ANZ Stadium as soon as round six, with an obvious contender being Saturday week’s showdown between Parramatta and the Roosters, currently slated for Bankwest Stadium at 7.35pm.
COMMUNITY SPORT
All community sport will be back in NSW on July 1, with the government bowing to pressure to allow over 18s to restart play in-line with junior sport.
There will also be no limit on numbers of players allowed at training.
“Sport is the lifeblood of our community,” Minister Geoff Lee said.
Contact sport will be allowed, but players are being encouraged to practice common sense.
“Try and change at home, don’t go into the shower rooms if you don’t have to, limit the number of people gathering together before and after the game,” Mr Lee told 2GB.
As first revealed by The Daily Telegraph today, the government will also allow corporate boxes at sporting venues to open for up to 50 people.