Experts say it’s time the govt stepped up to stop shops opening

Retailers and shoppers are crying out for clarity around what stores are considered essential with health experts warning about virus circulation. ESSENTIAL EXPLAINED Q&A

Queenslanders have been issued with a desperate plea to stop leaving the house for frivolous reasons as the government comes under fire for failing to provide proper guidelines on which businesses can and can’t stay open. 

Shoppers have been spotted during lockdown buying lounge furniture and plants at Bunnings while others were seen browsing clothes and games shops in one of Queensland's’ largest shopping centres after the state’s top doctor and health minister criticised non-essential stores for opening.

A woman shopping at Bunnings during Covid lockdown.

But retailers have hit back saying they are opening because the government tells them they are allowed to do so.

Asked whether stores like JB Hi-Fi and Cotton On should be open during lockdown, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said: “No, they’re not essential to me, I would hope that they’ve heard that message, and they make a decision that has contributed to our success”.

“If you’ve got a question whether you’re an essential worker, then you’re probably not,” she said.

EB Games is just one of the shops at Westfield Chermside that remains open during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“Really and truly my advice is if you can, stay home until 4pm on Sunday.”

National Retail Association CEO Dominique Lamb said Queensland retailers were expected to haemorrhage more than $800 million during the current lockdown and needed clarity.

“There are some difficulties every time we have a lockdown in a different state in Australia in that there isn’t a lot of consistency, so right now we have had the health Minister make a number of comments about retail not being essential but retailers are not excluded from opening,” she said. 

“Other states have implemented essential service lists, we anticipate we will see one out of Queensland, I know they are certainly working on it and they have consulted with us on it but really we want to see something consistent with what we have seen in New South Wales and Victoria.”

Queensland Health did not respond to a question about whether it would be releasing an essential services list for retailers to help stem the confusion but urged people use their “common sense” to decide whether visiting a store was an essential reason to leave home.

Queensland virologist and Griffith University Professor Nigel McMillan said the government needed to “take responsibility” for the fact non-essential shopping was happening in the lockdown areas.

A trio out and about shopping during the southeast Queensland lockdown.

“Clearly there are businesses opening that are not essential businesses and because they are allowed to open under the rules they will,” he said.

“I think the government is letting this one go through to the keeper a little bit and they really should take responsibility.”

He said employers were putting their own employees at risk by opening unnecessarily.

“There are two risks (with non-essential stores opening) one is that people will go which encourages people to move around, which we don’t want, secondly this virus needs people to actually move itself so you are increasing the opportunities for the virus to spread.” 

Shoppers were seen out and about, including at Bunnings in Pimpama, where some were seen buying plants and garden furniture.

Many businesses have continued operating during the Covid Lockdown in Brisbane. Pic: David Clarke

While Westfield Chermside was a shell of its usual bustling self on Tuesday, shops like EB Games, Mr Toys Toyworld, jewellery stores, Lowe’s, Ghanda Clothing, Zing Pop Culture were all among those remaining open.

A worker from EB Games, who wished to remain nameless, said she believed the reason they remained opened was because they also supplied working from home office supplies.

A worker at a national fashion retailer said she was confused why the doors of her employer remained opened and was not happy to be at work but needed the money.

A woman caught in non-essential shopping trip during lockdown.

Bunnings Regional Operations Manager Margaret Walford said stores in Queensland remained open to ensure customers and tradespeople had access to the essential products they need to complete emergency repairs and maintenance around homes, in line with government guidance.

“We ask that customers please shop online wherever possible using our contactless Click & Collect or Drive & Collect services,” she said.

Originally published as Experts say it’s time the govt stepped up to stop shops opening