Welcoming the WA government’s decision to reopen its borders on March 03, the Australian Hotels Association (WA) has questioned the return of venue capacity restrictions and warned of potential widespread hospitality business closures and mass job losses.
AHA(WA) CEO, Bradley Woods said while the announcement of WA’s border reopening is a positive step in the right direction, the return of 1 in 2sqm capacity restrictions is not so welcome news.
“WA is better prepared than any other state for the arrival and spread of Omicron and we urge the Government to ensure the 1 in 2sqm capacity restrictions apply for only a very limited period,” Mr Woods said.
“Capacity restrictions directly impact on revenue and limit the ability for venues to trade through the pandemic, making any further restrictions beyond 1 in 2sqm limits unfeasible.
“If we see restrictions imposed such as South Australia’s hospitality-destroying density limits of 1 in 4sqm, there will be widespread business closures and mass job losses.
Mr Woods said the evidence shows Western Australians are already self-regulating their behaviour by not congregating in what are perceived to be high-risk settings, further reducing the need for harsh restrictions.
“Omicron is here, but Western Australians and industry are well prepared. Hospitality businesses and the tens of thousands of jobs they support cannot afford to endure the impact of harsh restrictions that were in place prior to us having such high rates of vaccination,” he said.
“We welcome Premier McGowan’s acknowledgment of the financial impact that such restrictions have and for flagging financial compensation to support affected businesses.”
“Without adequate compensation to navigate the period ahead, many of WA’s hospitality venues will be left with no choice other than to shed staff, or worse.”
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
