The Park Geelong has to stay shut despite offering huge amounts of space
The owner of an indoor skate park allowed to open for just two weeks in the past seven months says she’s baffled at inconsistent COVID-19 rules that have kept her venue closed while gyms and restaurants have reopened.
Geelong
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THE owner of an indoor skate park allowed to open for just two weeks in the past seven months says she’s baffled at inconsistent COVID-19 rules that have kept her venue closed.
The Park Geelong owner Rosie Atkins said her 2500m2 venue with an eight-metre high roof could provide more space per person than restaurants and gyms that have been allowed to open.
“What we want, a part from answers, is to be able to open and also not have numbers capped at 20,” Ms Atkins said.
‘The Park and other indoor sport and recreation facilities need greater numbers.
“The cap on indoor restaurant spaces, based on density, is 1 person per 4m2.
“Even if there were 50 riders at The Park, based on that formula, each rider would have more than 40m2 of space.
“Unlike restaurants, retail and other businesses that could adapt their to enable at least some level of income, there are no avenues available for us to adjust the way we operate.”
A DHHS spokeswoman said indoor skate parks provide a “higher risk of coronavirus transmission” than outdoor settings.
“We know enclosed environments, such as indoor skate parks, provide a higher risk of coronavirus transmission than outdoor settings, which is why outdoor skateparks are currently open,” the spokeswoman said.
“We are constantly considering how we can open different settings across Victoria in a slow, steady and staggered approach to keep everyone safe and slow the spread of coronavirus in Victoria.”
Ms Atkins said she had lobbied health officials to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment of her business for a month but had not heard a response.
“We are not getting a response from anyone. It just really doesn’t make sense. Someone is making an assessment (of our business) who doesn’t understand it,” she said.
Ms Atkins said the government had not given her a detailed explanation about why indoor skate parks had to remain closed.
She called on the government to provide certainly about what a COVID normal would look like for her business.
Ms Atkins said the space available at her indoor facility meant it should be allowed to open.
“We have big industrial doors on the shed which are usually open for circulation of air,” she said.
Ms Atkins said the risk of COVID-19 spreading at her business was low and that the Department of Health and Human Services had showed a totally lack of understanding about how the business operated.
“Gyms shouldn’t be opened before us in our opinion.” she said.
Under easing COVID-19 restrictions indoor sports centres have been allowed to reopen for children but adult indoor sport remains off limits.
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Originally published as The Park Geelong has to stay shut despite offering huge amounts of space