Coronavirus: Beer’s back, and with it hope for jobs
As pubs across Victoria reopened on Monday, locals and politicians sanitised their hands and ordered a beer on tap.
As pubs across Victoria reopened on Monday, locals and politicians sanitised their hands and ordered a beer on tap.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg pulled a Furphy at Glenferrie Hotel in Hawthorn and said the easing of restrictions was good news for jobs and economic activity in Victoria.
He said the new stage of restrictions was a product of Victorians following the social-distancing rules and the nation flattening the curve.
“Now we’re not out of it, there’s still a long way to go,” he said. “But Victorians and, indeed, Australians can be proud of what we have achieved on the health front. We have avoided the fate of the United Kingdom, we have avoided the fate of the United States, we have avoided the fate of many other countries. But we have to continue to be vigilant and to be patient.”
Mr Frydenberg said easing of restrictions in three stages would put 850,000 people back at work and contribute $9.4bn to the economy each and every month.
“That means more people at the front bar, more people working in the kitchen, more tradies coming to have a drink and to socialise after a hard day at work,” he said.
The Cheriton family usually pop into their local, Mount Erica Hotel in Prahran, once a week and were lucky enough to get a lunch table without a reservation.
Regan Cheriton said being back at the hotel was about the atmosphere and having a beer on tap.
Paula Cheriton said the family usually went for happy hour and the reopening was about having increased social interaction and being out in the community.
While Mr Cheriton said he had missed the hotel’s coleslaw with a horseradish kick, the lockdown had allowed the couple to spend more time with their nine-month-old daughter, Billie.
Manager Scott Glover said the hotel was fortunate to have a modular layout that created five separate enclosed spaces, each of which permitted 20 people.
He said 120 people had booked for lunch or dinner. “It’s really good to start hearing phones ring as well,” he said.
“Everyone’s really happy to be back. We’ve a really lovely local clientele and they’re supporting us.”
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