Sydney hospitality industry requests ‘no jab no dine’ policy
The Restaurant and Catering Association (RCA) has made a submission to the NSW government requesting bars and eateries be permitted to reopen for outdoor dining and limited indoor capacities for fully vaccinated patrons.
The policy would be implemented once the adult vaccination rate has reached 50 per cent.
According to the RCA, outdoor dining should be permitted once the 50 per cent vaccination rate has been reached, as it is considered to be a low-risk setting.
The RCA has also put in a request for $15,000 to $25,000 grants to reopen and for the state to provide 72-hour fast-tracked dining permits and grants of up to $5000 so businesses can purchase outdoor tables, chairs and umbrellas.
The proposal includes all hospitality staff be allowed to work once fully vaccinated.
The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has shown their support for the ‘no jab, no entry’ approach with AHA NSW director John Green saying, “We would support a platform where staff and patrons had to be vaccinated if that allowed us to reopen sooner.”
The AHA has called for special vaccination drives, such as those for supermarket workers and tradies. This will allow for a higher number of hospitality professionals to get vaccinated in a shorter amount of time.
They have also suggested that relaxing lockdown rules could be done separately for each LGA. This would allow businesses in areas of low community transmission and high levels of vaccinations to begin trading sooner.
Irit Jackson, 17th August 2021
