Just as life in NSW was regaining some sort of traction, the Berejiklian Government came to the conclusion on Monday that they will be implementing tighter restrictions on pubs and venues throughout the state.
This decision follows the recent coronavirus outbreak at the Crossroads Hotel in Sydney’s south-west. Precautions are being taken after 21 coronavirus cases have been recorded amongst patrons from the Casula town pub.
Stricter restrictions in NSW will only be enforced in pubs, having no impact on the function of clubs, restaurants and The Star Casino.
The new measures, that will affect pubs across NSW, will see group bookings be reduced from 20 people to 10. Previously, there was also no limit to the number of patrons in a pub at any one time, providing the venue complied with the indoor limit (one person for every four square metres).
However, the tougher regulations will impact larger venues mostly, with the number of people inside an NSW pub now being capped at 300 patrons.
Come school holidays with cross-border management restricting interstate travel, many NSW families have taken off to the Snowy Mountains for an icy getaway. On Saturday (July 11), Lake Jindabyne Hotel’s bistro was issued a 72-hour shutdown order after concerns were raised over public health and safety issues that breach the Liquor Act.
#Queensland will declare several Local Govt areas of Sydney #coronavirus hotspots after a cluster of cases in SW Sydney. From noon today anyone who has visited the Campbelltown & Liverpool city areas will be forced into hotel quarantine if they enter Queensland.
— Danuta Kozaki (@danutakozaki) July 13, 2020
The new COVID-19 rules are being rolled out across the state today (Tuesday, July 14th) during a Berejiklian State Government address. Venues will also be faced with stringent managerial requirements which involve more pedantic cleaning of surfaces as well as precise noting of patrons’ contact details, in the future case of an outbreak within the given precinct.
In the past few weeks, the Australian Hotels Association have proposed numerous safety measures to the government. NSW has been urged to take action, in order to prevent themselves from falling into the same void their Victorian neighbours have fallen into.
“I’m appealing to all licensees, all pubs, to learn from this mistake and see what’s going on in Victoria. If they are under any illusion – under any illusion whatsoever – that we are through this in NSW, they are sadly mistaken,” said Police Minister David Elliott in a statement.
“We don’t want to see the hospitality industry close down again and go into lockdown again, because it may not survive.”
