VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement that hospitality staff must be double-dose vaccinated before venues can reopen from Friday is not backed up by any change of direction from the Chief Health Officer.
Mr Andrews confirmed on Tuesday that all staff in places where one sits down for a meal would need to have two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine under the road map announced on Sunday.
“Staff need to be double vaccinated,” Mr Andrews confirmed on Tuesday.
“I don’t think that anyone would find fault with the logic that says if I must be double-dosed to sit down and order a beer or a glass of wine, then the person who’s serving me needs to be double-dosed also.”
But Mr Andrews’ comments fly in the face of the current directions from CHO on the Victorian Government’s website, which maintains that the deadline for second vaccination doses for workers is on November 26, with first doses required by October 22.
The current State of Emergency mandatory worker directions end at midnight on Thursday.
A Mildura business owner described the situation as “a joke”.
The Setts owner Liam Wood said businesses that had suffered immeasurably over the past 18 months were “more confused than ever” over the changing rules.
“I have a number of staff who are single dosed, but they can’t hurry this stuff up, you have to wait for your second dose, so what do businesses do?” he asked.
“That is completely out of your hands. You have to wait in line and it wasn’t their fault that they were on waiting lists.
“I’m lost for words. It’s a kick in the teeth, it really is.”
The confusion comes after Sunraysia business owners were “literally up in arms” during an online forum with government officials on Tuesday night.
Mildura businesses also still don’t know when they will emerge from the current lockdown, which was scheduled to end on Friday at 11.59pm, with the Victorian Government expected to make an announcement on Thursday morning whether the Mildura LGA will be released at the same time as Melbourne.
Fifteen new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Local Government Area following testing on Tuesday – more than double that recorded the previous day – however Victoria’s COVID response commander Jeroen Weimar said the region was “tracking in a pretty good place”.
Mr Wood said the government needed to show more compassion and understanding for the hospitality industry, who have been “doing it so tough for two years”.
“Instead, they are told it’s happy days, you can open up again to aggression and standover tactics from the government,” he said.
“If you don’t comply, you face a $109,000 fine. I am not sure how they can come up with that number as a threat to businesses who are already on their knees.”
Member for Mildura Ali Cupper said she was seeking clarity from the Victorian Government, admitting the requirement for hospitality staff to be double vaccinated upon reopening had “blindsided” them.
“Even on the government’s own website this was not published,” she said.
“There were two key dates – October 22 for first dose and November 26 for second.
“Prior to the press conference yesterday (Tuesday) there was no official government documentation online that said to serve a hospitality customer that you need to be double vaccinated.
“But who knows? None of us can be sure.”
Ms Cupper said she had contacted three different ministerial offices “pleading with them to wave the white flag on this”.
“The reality is our business community didn’t know about this. They weren’t given fair warning,” she said.
“They would have complied if they had known, so after two years of uncertainty and turmoil this is pouring salt into the wounds.
“The government needs to acknowledge this wasn’t well handled. I’m not wanting to make an enemy of the government, but sometimes things get stuffed up.
“People will be understanding of that provided they are given some leniency as a result.
“The government shouldn’t be doubling down on this. The hospitality industry has done it so tough, they need some help here.”
