Mackay’s Liquid club goes it alone on listing venue as exposure site

A Mackay nightclub boss has hit out at venues not proactively listing themselves as an exposure site, saying crowd numbers had already dived to a massive low. He’s temporarily closed to protect staff and patrons.

A Mackay nightclub boss has hit out at exposure site reporting, saying he doesn’t care if his venue is known as “Club Covid”, he’s doing it for his customers.

Liquid owner Greg Pow has become a figurehead in the transparency movement across Mackay, urging business owners to proactively report if a Covid positive person went through their establishment.

It comes on the back of rumours and misinformation across Facebook feeds about who was where and when over the Christmas and New Year period, at the same time Queensland Health pulled back on reporting Covid exposure sites.

Liquid Nightclub owner Greg Pow says patron numbers in the city have been down about 85 per cent since the double vaccination mandate came into effect on December 17. Picture: Tara Miko

Mr Pow said he willingly posted on social media about a customer who had been at his Victoria St venue on New Year’s Eve night who had tested positive, describing the club as an exposure site and urging people to get tested if showing symptoms.

“If we get the name of ‘Club Covid’, I don’t care,” he said.

“It needs to stop.

“We have regular patrons and one of them is quite a close friend of the staff at the venue.

“She came in, I gave her a hug and a kiss, she was there for about 15 minutes.

“She contacted me on Sunday morning saying she was sick and had been to get a Covid test, and that maybe we should get tested too.”

It was enough of a link for Mr Pow to notify his staff and patrons via Facebook, kickstarting a social media storm in the process.

The doors to Liquid Nightclub on Victoria St, Mackay CBD. Picture: Tara Miko

But since the contact, Mr Pow said his bartender got sick on Sunday and got a positive Covid result on Monday, January 3.

“There were already the rumours that we had Covid in the venue, but it was definitely in town and then I confirmed one of my staff members caught it.

“I’ve had some very disgraceful messages to myself and on the (Facebook) post and my personal inbox, but on the other side, they’re saying, ‘good on ya, thanks for letting us know’.”

Liquid Nightclub owner Greg Pow has urged business owners to proactively state if their venues have been exposed to Covid. Picture: Tara Miko

Mr Pow said he had self-isolated and Liquid would not open the weekend of January 7, but would resume trade as usual the following weekend.

He said Mackay’s night-life trade was down about 85 per cent since the double vaccination entry requirement came into effect on December 17, and predicted venues would not be at capacity until after Covid had peaked in the region.

Conceding he headed up a contentious nightclub in Mackay, Mr Pow said his staff was loyal to his regular customers and wanted to thank them for coming forward with their positive results.

“If we get notified, we will go public with it,” he said.

Originally published as Mackay’s Liquid club goes it alone on listing venue as exposure site