North Coast hospitality sector struggles under isolation requirements

Restaurant owners have their livelihoods on the line in a Covid-induced game of chance that has industry leaders calling for exemptions for the hard-hit sector.

The North Coast hospitality industry is pleading for empathy and help as one business labels the current Covid-19 outbreak an “ongoing Russian roulette”.

Business NSW Northern Rivers regional manager Jane Laverty said the community’s high hopes for a “summer of recovery” for tourism, hospitality and retail sectors had been shattered as the impact of Covid-19 hit operations and economic confidence.

“They needed this to be a good season and they invested in it with optimism including training of new staff, upgrading merchandise and new season stock so as to give it their best crack,” Ms Laverty said.

“So the losses over Christmas and New Year are not just in actual trade, it’s also in the investment they have put in to recoup their losses over the past two years.

“We have seen nearly every holiday period in the past two years impacted significantly by Covid and preceded by bushfire impacts.”

Even though Ballina streets are busy with residents and tourists, the hospitality sector is struggling to cope with the pressure

She said losing staff to positive Covid-19 results or close contact isolation was “crippling”.

Wharf Bar and Restaurant owner Ralph Mamone said the latest unofficial lockdown a had been “nightmare”.

He said about five or six staff members were isolating due to Covid-19.

“It’s an ongoing Russian roulette,” he said.

“You’re open today and closed tomorrow … you’ve got staff that are sick and then you’ve got other staff that are tired and fatigued because they’re covering everyone who is off.

“It’s the most horrid two years out of 30 years working.”

Owner of Ballina's Wharf Bar and Restaurant, Ralph Mamone. Photo Graham Broadhead / Ballina Shire Advocate

He said summer trade was vital to his and other business’s survival over the slower winter months.

“We just closed during the two busiest weeks of the year,” he said.

“If we don’t make enough money and don’t stuff ourselves this time of the year, it means we die during the winter.”

Mr Mamone said staff shortages had been compounded by a 30 per cent loss in backpacker employment.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is considering bringing hospitality exemptions to the table. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Ms Laverty said Business NSW was advocating to for close contact employees to be allowed return to work if they had a negative rapid antigen test, an extension to commercial rent relief for commercial tenants, the reinstatement of the Hardship Review Panel to assess business impacts into 2022 and extension of the SME Summer Stock Guarantee so retail and hospitality businesses could recover the costs of lost stock if required to close.

It comes as Premier Dominic Perrottet changes isolation rules for critical food workers and remains open to further extensions and Restaurants and Catering Industry Association chief executive Wes Lambert petitions the state government for the hospitality exemptions.

Meanwhile, Mr Mamone was just asking for understanding as businesses tried to keep doors open.

“We’re all travelling blind and we just all have to be as tolerant as we can and patient through it,” he said.

“We’re doing the best we can with limited resources.”