Covid Gold Coast: QR code check in regulations must be scrapped business leaders say

Gold Coast businesses and political leaders are demanding QR code check-ins be abandoned – but the calls have swiftly been smacked down. HAVE YOUR SAY

Businesses and political leaders are demanding “pointless” QR code check-ins be abandoned.

Restaurant owners are fed up with having to monitor patrons’ QR codes and vaccination status, weeks after the state government said it was no longer doing significant contact tracing.

But the state government unequivocally rejected the idea at a Covid-19 press conference, saying the technology will help track any major outbreaks.

Mayor Tom Tate said QR code check-ins at major retail outlets such as shopping centres and family attractions should be scrapped.

Staff at The Bedroom Lounge Bar in Surfers Paradise check vaccination status of patrons on entry. Picture: Jerad Williams

“Frontline staff are exhausted from managing Covid and importantly, the State Government is no longer providing hotspot data,” he said.

“The focus should be on ensuring customers show their ‘green tick’ to prove double vaccination. That can be done face-to-face at the entry point to restaurants, hotels and theme parks without needing to scan the QR code symbol.

“As Covid spreads rapidly, I would rather the State focused on ensuring no unvaccinated residents or visitors enter aged care facilities, hospitals and child care centres rather than QR code entry to major outlets.’’

Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek said it was an unnecessary burden on struggling business owners.

“What is the point of checking in when the government is not even monitoring the results?” he said.

“Especially given the difficulties it creates for people and the situation where the police have had to be called to assist over irate customers.

“It just makes things harder for people in hospitality who are doing it tough and having to enforce regulations nobody is paying attention to.

‘It flies in the face of common sense.”

Broadbeach’s Moo Moo Restaurant owner Steven Adams said it was time to “move on” from the Check In Qld app if it wasn’t being used for its intended purpose anymore.

“If they’re not bothering to do contact tracing then what’s the point? We need to simplify things and get back to normal,” he said.

“We’ve had all this signage up everywhere, pages and pages of them. It would be good to get rid of some of it.”

Staff at Lost Kingdom Nightclub in Surfers Paradise check vaccination status of patrons on entry. Picture: Jerad Williams

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said: “There are no plans to stop using the Check In Qld app at this time.”

Broadbeach’s Max Seafood owner Vincent Davies said his staff were only using the app to view customers’ vaccination status.

“As far as the QR codes and contact tracing – I don’t think (the app) is necessary anymore,” Mr Davies said.

He said the system to check customers’ vaccination status was “definitely slowing down service”.

“It’s the time spent checking people’s vaccination that is the concern at the moment,” he said.

“The first day the vaccine mandate was introduced, people weren’t ready. Staff were spending a lot of time explaining the system to people.

“I don’t think the government got the message across as good as they should have.”

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said businesses were fed up with the QR codes.

“The purpose they served has now passed and they are more of an annoyance for our members,” he said.

“Particularly for those of us with kids, it does not make it easy and we need to ensure it is as easy as possible for people to spend money.”

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