Albany and Denmark businesses look for answers as proof-of-vaccination rules loom amid staff shortages

With less than two weeks until WA’s proof-of-vaccination rules become law in WA, Albany and Denmark businesses are still waiting for answers on how they will enforce the restrictions amid ongoing staffing shortages during the peak tourist season. From January 31, anyone over 16 will need to prove they are double-jabbed against COVID-19 to enter all hospitality venues, entertainment precincts, fitness centres, bottle shops and events with more than 500 attendees. The WA Government’s ServiceWA app is set to streamline the venue check-in process but hospitality venues say it has been largely left up to them to figure out how they will patrol the punters entering their premises. It comes as Albany and Denmark hospitality businesses continue to deal with staff shortages during their peak tourist season, with several businesses opting to temporarily shut up shop to give their exhausted workers a break. This week, the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry has hosted forums to help local businesses navigate the vaccine mandates and find practical solutions to their concerns ahead of the WA border opening. ACCI chief executive Lisa Smith said the biggest issue for local businesses was the “lack of clarity and concrete information” from the State Government. “A greater sense of clarity is needed for businesses in regards to how they are to effectively manage the numerous and diverse COVID-related situations they will be facing in the coming months,” Ms Smith said. “Albany is a small, family like community where everyone knows and supports each other. “These mandates make it tricky to identify how certain businesses can continue to operate if patrons of their venue catch COVID, or how they are to enforce government rulings and mandates while at the same time not excluding or neglecting their fellow community members. “Along with apparent operational queries, there are also many ethical issues that local businesses are seeking clarity on.” Ms Smith said a lack of staff was a clear issue for many businesses, as it had been for the past 12 months. “Several businesses have noted a revisit and revaluation of their contingency plans are in order before the imminent border reopening on February 5, with several stating they do not have a backup team to rely on,” she said. “Most recently at the ACCI, we have been lobbying the State Premier to highlight the seriousness of the staff shortages we have been facing here in Albany and the Great Southern, and the support required to mitigate this issue. “We are still trying to determine the full scope of what the business community is currently facing at the moment...once we have collated this information we will be sending it to the relevant State Government departments so that Albany’s voice is heard.” Denmark Chamber of Commerce chief executive Sumer Addy said the chamber was working with the Denmark Community Resource Centre to ensure consumers, especially Denmark’s elderly population, have what they need to enter local venues from January 31. “The majority of businesses that are affected by it are right in the centre of a peak tourism season, one that we have never seen before,” she said. “So for them to be able to contemplate how they are going to implement a new policy and procedure I don’t even know if that is something that is a main priority of theirs at the moment.” Boston Brewing Co. general manager Glen Daniel said the biggest challenge would be finding enough staff to check every patron’s vaccination status across the large venue. “Everywhere across the State is struggling hard and having this put on the venue is really adding to that pressure because we have to have extra staff on that aren’t actually servicing our customers in a way that is generating a revenue for us,” he said. “It is just additional wages and people that we have to find to make sure that we are going around and checking everyone’s vaccination status.” Mr Daniel urged patrons to do the right thing. “We are just following a government mandate and we legally have to, so no matter what your views are on vaccination or the mandate, there is no point taking it out on our staff, they are just trying to do their job so please be respectful,” he said. The Earl of Spencer Historic Inn owner Neil Simmonds said he was considering a “no stamp, no service” system to monitor patrons entering the venue. Mr Simmonds said the venue was already being affected by supply delays and had taken some items off the menu and like many other businesses in the region were facing the impact of staff shortages. “Everywhere is short and everyone is crying out for staff,” he said. “So we have gone back to shutting Sundays and Mondays to give our staff a break because the staff that I have got are really good and we do the best job that we can but working straight six or seven days a week is not good for anybody. “We need our break as well.” Albany gyms will also be affected, with one location offering unvaccinated gym goers online training. City of Albany executive director community services Nathan Watson said the City would implement the State Government’s proof-of-vaccination mandate across all applicable facilities, including Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre in time for January 31. “The logistics of this implementation are under way with facility-specific information to be provided to patrons as soon as possible,” he said.