Sit-down dining back on the menu as restrictions ease, local sport training resumes
Cafes and restaurants welcomed sit-down diners for the first time in almost 10 weeks today. Owner Abacus on Chapel St, Dylan Whitmore, said it was so good to be open again. It comes as the Brimbank Mayor says a school in her municipality should be closed.
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Cafes across the city have this morning reopened to sit-down diners for the first time in months as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease.
Up to 20 patrons are now allowed inside cafes, restaurants and pubs, with a handful braving today’s wet weather for a taste.
Friends Matt Browne, 23, Jacob Squire, 24, and Gemma Garcia, 27, were some of the first through the doors at Abacus on Chapel Street this morning.
The trio said it was exciting to finally be out at a cafe after months of dining at home.
“This is the first time we’ve sat somewhere other than inside our house,” Mr Squire said.
“We were a little overwhelmed because it’s been so long so we all ordered the same thing,” Ms Garcia said.
“The avo with a side of bacon.”
Owner Dylan Whitmore said it was “so good” to be back.
“We’re fully booked from 10.30am,” he said.
“For the last three weeks we’ve had our coffee nook open, but the rest of the time we’ve been shut.
“It’s so good to be open again.”
Sisters Zoe, 23, and Georgie Gough, 25, and cousin Phoebe Coldbeck, 25, had to write down their contact details at Rustica in South Yarra, but said it was a small price to pay.
“We always come out together and this is one of our locals,” Georgie said.
“It’s just so nice just to have a sit down meal and coffee.”
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ONLY FOUR NEW VIRUS CASES IN VICTORIA
Four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Victoria.
The new cases include one person linked to the Rydges on Swanston cluster, bringing the total number of people in that outbreak to eight.
That person is believed to be a close contact of someone working at the building.
One case was a returned traveller while two others were identified via community testing.
There are now six people in hospitals, with just one in ICU.
The state’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton said Victoria was making “great progress.”
“Thanks to Victorians playing their part, staying at home and getting tested - we have made some great progress in slowing the spread of coronavirus,” he said.
“By doing the right thing, we can continue to keep one another safe.”
It comes as Brimbank Mayor Georgina Papafotiou told 3AW one of the schools linked to the outbreak should be closed but wouldn’t say which one.
Students from four schools in the city’s west are isolating after coming into contact with a family outbreak of coronavirus in Keilor Downs, which has so far infected 13 people.
Students from Holy Eucharist Primary School in St Albans South, St Albans Secondary College and Taylors Lakes Secondary College are now in isolation because of a case at Keilor Downs Secondary College.
Cr Papafotiou said she was confident schools in the area were doing their best to follow the advice of health authorities.
She said the Department of Health and Human Services had contacted the council regarding both the Cedar Meats and Keilor Downs clusters.
“Any outbreak of coronavirus in a community is a concern and our community has had more cases than other municipalities,” Cr Papafotiou said.
“My number one priority is the health, wellbeing and safety of our residents. Health comes first in anyone’s life.
“As a former teacher, I know the health and safety of students, teachers and their families is a major focus for the health and education authorities. I am confident schools in the area are doing their best to follow the advice of health authorities.”
Brimbank Council reopened a number of community facilities last Tuesday as restrictions eased and Cr Papafotiou said any further reopening or reintroduction of services decisions would be influenced by the surrounding authorities and the advice of the DHHS and other authorities.
A pop-up screening clinic has been established at the Keilor Community Hub in response to the outbreak, as there are concerns the confirmed cases may be linked to community transmission.
There is also a screening clinic at Sunshine Hospital.
FINES PLUMMET AS RESTRICTIONS EASE
Just three fines were issued in as many days for breaches of coronavirus restrictions.
The fines issued between 11pm on Thursday to 11pm on Sunday illustrate the dramatic easing of police enforcement in recent times.
A total of 2018 spot checks were conducted statewide over the three-day period.
VICTORIAN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY REOPENS
From today Victorians will be able to wine and dine at hundreds of venues for the first time in almost 10 weeks after COVID-19 restrictions eased to allow up to 20 people into enclosed venues.
Suburban venues are expected to receive the bulk of customers with CBD foot traffic still low as city workers continue to work from home.
Bookings and set menus will become the new normal as the industry grapples with strict regulations on allowing diners to return.
Local footy clubs will also be able to resume training as part of a raft of changes to the state’s lockdown laws.
In good news for beer lovers, tap beer will back on offer as pubs start to re-open.
Carlton United Breweries ceased production of their iconic kegs more than two months ago but this week production lines at their Abbotsford factory were back in action.
CUB spokesman Reid Sexton said that company has been inundated with orders from local pubs who are keen to welcome patrons back.
The restart of the AFL season is also expected to drive people back to pubs with fans seeking out places to get together to watch the game.
Australian Venue Co CEO Paul Waterson said while the limited capacity will make it difficult for many venues to make a profit, it was exciting for staff to get back to work.
“We can’t wait to get the regulars back in,” Mr Waterson said.
“For many people, going to the pub for a parma is part of their way of life, it’s how they catch up with friends,” he said.
SMALL BUSINESSES FEAR CBD GHOSTTOWN
Small businesses in the CBD fear they’ll go out of business if office workers continue working from home.
With the state government’s directive for people to stay working from home in place for another month at least, cash strapped businesses in the city’s once booming business and shopping districts are feeling the pinch more than ever.
Simon Hartley has run Crossley St restaurant Becco for the past 24 years and since social distancing restrictions were introduced, his business has plummeted by 95 per cent.
While he is grateful that he has been able to keep his staff employed thanks to the JobKeeper payment, the restaurant owner is keen for the state government to start allowing workers to return to their CBD offices.
“If other businesses, including restaurants, can work things out so they abide by the social distancing restrictions surely they can work out a system for offices and public transport as well,” Mr Hartley told the Herald Sun.
“Surely some people could come into the city for work – in a staged approach like what they did with the schools.
“I don’t think the blanket closing down of lifestyle is going to be productive in the end.”
Little Collins St cobbler Igor Rezmitski is set to reopen his doors today for the first time since March 24.
He’s worried that his shop, Cobbleron, will become a COVID-19 fatality if the CBD remains a ghost town.
“I’m happy but scared to be reopening,” Mr Rezmitski said.
“It’s scary because it’s my only income for me and my wife. Bills keep piling up and I’m eating into my savings. At this moment, we’re just trying to keep afloat.”
Meanwhile, fruit seller Frank Fontana said that rent relief on their stall in Queen Victoria Market has been a lifesaver for his family business but they’re still struggling as restaurant orders took a sharp decline.
“The restaurants and cafes closing effectively closed us too. It was a large part of our business.
“I think a lot of restaurants will struggle depending on the deals they struck with their landlords.
“It’s probably going to take them six months to recover from this, which means it will take us six months because we go hand-in-hand.”
Darren Steinberg, the CEO of Melbourne’s biggest commercial landlord Dexus, said it’s critical for the Victorian economy that people return to the CBD.
“When people think of office towers, they tend to only think about the businesses inside them. But there is an entire ecosystem of small businesses scattered around them which are dependent on a vibrant and dynamic CBD,” Mr Steinberg said.
“The ripple effect of an empty CBD reaches far beyond the big end of town. It’s critical for people to get back to the CBD to reinvigorate the Victorian economy after the effects of COVID-19.”
– Sharon McGowan
RURAL AREAS WORST HIT BY PANDEMIC JOB LOSSES
Rural areas and tourism-reliant regions have been worst hit by job losses over the past month, with new data revealing they had fared worse than major cities.
New data has revealed eight of the 10 hardest-hit electorates were in rural and regional areas across the country.
Analysis by the Grattan Institute found at least half of the rural electorates around the country lost more than 7.5 per cent of jobs between March 14 and April 16.
Just 16 per cent of inner-metropolitan electorates and 11 per cent of outer-metropolitan electorates suffered the same loss.
Grattan Institute Household Finances Program Director Brendan Coates that while Victoria had not seen the worst figures yet, he expected the state to be worse off eventually.
“Victoria is likely to be hardest hit because it receives so many international migrants, students and construction,” he told the Herald Sun.
“There are all sectors that are going to be hit hard. Not all of those will be showing up in the numbers yet.”
The worst hit Victorian electorate was Wannon in the state’s southwest where jobs have gone down 8.4 per cent.
Mallee and Flinders have also experienced significant losses.
The most serious impacted outer metropolitan area affected in Victoria was Dunkley and the hardest hit inner metropolitan seat in the state was Melbounre, including the CBD.
Mr Coates said economic stimulus including supporting small scale infrastructure in country Australia would be important as business come off the Morrison Government’s JobKeeper program slated to end in September.
He hoped the lifting of some restrictions from today (MON) would see regions reliant on tourists begin to recover.
“Most of the job losses you’re going to see in tourism have already be felt,” Mr Coates said.
“You’ll be able to see some jobs returning as these restrictions are lifted.”
In a headland speech last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a series of working groups to be held over the coming four months to drastically reform industrial relations.
He urged all sides of the debate to put their “weapons down” in a bid to create jobs on the other side of the pandemic.
Attourney General and Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter yesterday said he needed unions, employers and government to the table with a fresh perspective.
“All of the parties have in effect been arguing for many, many years around pretty considerable spoils of 29 years of uninterrupted economic growth and in whole industry sectors those spoils are gone,” he told the ABC.
“The game has changed and the game now, the number one game in town is growing jobs, saving jobs, preserving jobs, and creating jobs of the future.”
How to define casual workers and their rights will be key to the upcoming discussions.
- Tamsin Rose
LOCAL FOOTY GETS BACK TO TRAINING
Club footy is back from today, and players at the Hawthorn Amateur Football club can’t wait to get back to the action on field.
The ease in training restrictions is among a suite of other changes announced by Premier Daniel Andrews to lift COVID-19 restrictions for Victoria.
Hawthorn Amateur Football Club President, Sam Waldron, said the three teams are excited to start training again.
“Both the girls and guys are very keen to start training again,” Mr Waldron said.
“Restrictions have put a bit of a dampener on our season, but everyone is just ready to start up again.”
Mental health awareness is a key focus of the club and Mr Waldron said socialising in person through sport is invaluable.
“All of us have felt pretty isolated,” Mr Waldron said.
“It’ll be great for players to catch up with mates.
“Mental health is considered just as important as physical health at the club.”
– Alexandra Gauci