PENALTIES SOAR AS STATES SCRAMBLE TO CONTAIN SECOND WAVE

Inspectors from coordinated government departments are trawling NSW licensed venues in search of COVID breaches, while Victoria threatens fines of $200,000 to businesses who fail to report infected staff.

Liquor & Gaming NSW, SafeWork NSW and NSW Fair Trading collectively visited 410 venues during weekend compliance activities conducted by the Department of Customer Service, issuing $50,000 in fines to ten businesses*.

Most breaches related to not having a COVID-19 Safety Plan, non-compliant record keeping, and lack of appropriate physical distancing.

Executive director of compliance, Peter Dunphy, says the rules are vital protections for workers and customers.

“Pubs, clubs, bars, casinos, cafes and restaurants are high-risk for COVID transmission. They are subject to public health order conditions specifically designed to keep them open and keep our communities safe.

“We all need to play it safer – businesses as well as customers.”

In Victoria the Andrews government is considering fines up to $39,652 for individuals or $198,264 for businesses, if a confirmed coronavirus case among the workforce is not reported.

New regulations have been drafted under Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requiring employers to notify WorkSafe immediately if they become aware a worker has received a confirmed test result after working on the premises.

The new measures came into effect this week.

The Department of Health advises that the date a person’s infectious period is considered to begin is 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms or a confirmed diagnosis, whichever comes first, continuing until the person receives a clearance from isolation.

Customers that have visited a venue considered a possible site of transmission must remain isolated for 14 days, and get tested if they develop symptoms.

More Sydney venues have been forced closed again, having been linked to new coronavirus cases:

• A staff member tested positive at Potts Point restaurant The Apollo and all diners who attended the venue 23-25 July are expected to quarantine
• An infectious customer attended both ALH’s Pritchard’s Hotel and massive RSL club Mounties, in Mt Pritchard

Today NSW reported 21 new cases of coronavirus and 25,318 tests completed in the past 24 hours.

Of the new cases, only two require investigation. Three are associated with the cluster out of Harris Park Catholic cathedral Our Lady of Lebanon, sometimes attended by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and two cases are associated with the Mounties Club.

NSW Health has revised the window during which patrons in Mounties must now self-isolate: 7pm Wednesday 22 July – 3am 23 July, 8.30pm Thursday 23 July – 3am 24 July, 11am-3.30pm Friday 24 July, 7pm 24 July – 3am Saturday 25 July.

Police have confirmed they are investigating a queue filmed outside the Greengate Hotel in Killara on Wednesday night. Liquor & Gaming received footage of a long line of pubgoers waiting to enter, with security reportedly enforcing social distancing only after spotting 9News cameras.

This week Victoria broke records in its numbers of new cases, and the creeping caseload in NSW prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban all residents of greater Sydney from the sunshine state, beginning Saturday 1 August.

NSW has furthered its own regulations, gyms joining hospitality premises in the new Public Health Orders from Saturday, and NSW Health has established a hotline for dobbing in those not complying.

“You never know who is filming or taking photos or when police and inspectors might visit your business,” says Director Dunphy.

NSW venues wanting to keep track of the rules being enforced should visit nsw.gov.au.

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*NSW venues being fined $5,000: Iris Group’s Hurlstone Park Hotel and Kingswood Hotel, Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ in Gosford, Natapit Samintkaew on the Central Coast, Thai Thyme and Hero Sushi in Erina, Heart 2 Heart and Master Hot Pot in Cumberland, Tamworth Service Club in Tamworth, Greyhound Social Club Yagoona.