Queensland venues in crisis as staff sent home

Businesses in Queensland’s busiest tourist destinations have slammed the Palaszczuk government’s failure to keep up with Covid-19 testing demand for workers.

Sisters Te’a, 20, Stella, 20, and Sian O’Leary, 23, enjoy cocktails served by Lachlan Jones at Burleigh Pavilion on the Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Businesses in Queensland’s busiest tourist destinations have slammed the Palaszczuk government’s failure to keep up with Covid-19 testing demand as hundreds of workers are stuck at home waiting for swab results.

Dozens of restaurants, cafes and bars across Queensland are being forced to close for days at a time due to staff shortages, with fears some casual workers may soon be unable to pay rent if they keep missing shifts because of coronavirus exposure.

Ben May, who owns the popular Burleigh Pavilion on the Gold Coast, said he lost $300,000 in turnover on the weekend before Christmas because a Covid-positive person visited the bar days earlier.

“It has been dreadful, my entire workforce had to go and get tests, which is fine, but it took five days for some of them to get their results back,” he said.

“We are a high-traffic venue so it is just a matter of time before it happens again. I will lose my restaurant, all because the government makes us get tested then wait five days to give the results.

“We are lacking confidence more than we ever have before; we do not know whether we will have staff or not on any given day so it is pretty scary for businesses.”

Mr May believes workers in hospitality venues, where all staff and patrons are double-vaccinated, should not have to isolate while waiting for their Covid results unless they are symptomatic.

“I have people driving around the Gold Coast trying to find rapid tests so we can test all the staff ­before shifts and we cannot find any,” he said.

“(The state government) had so long to prepare for this and I think this will be one of their biggest stuff-ups – the failure to be able to ramp up testing.”

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there were 230 private testing sites across the state, many of which would reopen this week after closing for the Christmas period.

“We know over the next few days we will see more availability,” she said.

Staffing shortages are plaguing hospitality venues around the state with more than 70 staff at The Ville Resort-Casino in Townsville in quarantine.

The Ville chief executive Michael Jones said parts of the resort would stay closed past New Year’s Eve after 47 staff working across the venue were ordered to quarantine for seven days.

Another 25 staff are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus at other venues.

“These are fully vaccinated staff, all wearing masks, who now have to go into quarantine for seven days even if they get a negative result,” Mr Jones told the Townsville Bulletin. “We are currently dealing with very upset guests who have saved up to book a holiday to come here.

“This is a circus, this is not living with Covid – we now have a hotel full of guests, what are they meant to do, where are they meant to eat?”

The hospitality industry was already facing a staffing crisis ahead of the state border opening, which is being exacerbated by “bewildering” isolation requirements, Restaurant and Catering ­Industry Association chief executive Wes Lambert said.

“This is the most critical time for the hospitality industry to recover from what has been two years of Covid restrictions, and staff are languishing at home for seven days regardless of their test result,” he added.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said he felt for casual workers who will lose shifts because of isolation rules and will struggle to pay rent as a result.

“I feel for the small business owner who was told that the next two years weren’t going to be like the last two. We’ve just got to find a way through this.”