From Monday 31st January 2022, Proof of vaccination requirements will apply to venues and events state-wide in Western Australia. The mandate is an expansion of the already existing covid-19 related rules that aim to reduce the transmission of covid-19 occurring in high-risk venues.
Since Tuesday 4th January, proof of vaccination has been required for a number of higher risk venues and events in Perth and Peel, as part of a transition from a cluster of cases traced back to a backpacker.
The expansion of the mandate means the following venues and events will require patrons aged 16 and older to have received at least two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine:
- visitors to public and private hospitals, and aged care facilities;
- all hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, taverns, night clubs and dine-in fast food (roadhouses, service stations and takeaway is exempt);
- indoor entertainment venues, including play centres, gaming and gambling, theatres, concert halls, museums, cinemas and live music venues;
- bottle shops;
- the entire Crown Perth complex;
- major stadiums;
- gyms, fitness centres and health studios;
- amusement parks and the Zoo; and
- music festivals and large events with more than 500 people, unless exempt.
Community sport and school-based events, unless at one of the specific venues listed, are exempt from the proof of vaccination requirement.
“The expanded policy will take effect from January 31 when vaccination mandates for the Group 2 workforce will also take effect. This means the vast majority of Western Australians will be double dose vaccinated and we are providing businesses and venues more than two weeks to implement the changes,” said Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan.
Supermarkets in Western Australia Are Preparing for Their Shelves to Be Empty When Border Re-Opens
The high levels of panic buying witnessed in Western Australia in the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic is set to return as the states border is planning to be re-opened to the rest of the country on Monday 5th February.
Supermarket shelves are being left empty due to a supply chain crisis caused by the worsening spread of Omicron cases among transport, distribution and retail workers in the country’s east.
Pierre Sequeira, the manager of the Preston Street IGA in Perth’s southern suburbs, said although his store was currently well stocked, he was unsure what would happen when the state’s border reopens in February.
Mr. Sequeira has noticed that customers are already starting to stock up on essential items.
“We’re trying to tell people not to panic buy because, I think, that just ends up with a few people buying too much. I would say the last few days we’ve had busier trading days and I think it’s partly because of the weather but I think it’s partly because people are starting to buy,” says Pierre Sequeira.
“I had a situation last time where a lady bought a whole heap of pasta and they don’t eat pasta at all. So, it’s things like that. People just with the herd mentality decide to buy certain goods because everyone is and they do the same thing with toilet paper,” continued Mr. Sequeira
Pierre Sequeira believes that although Western Australia has remained relatively free of covid-19, the state government must clarify how businesses should manage future outbreaks.
“That’s where we want to get the definition of a close contact, how we manage that and how many days they’ve got to isolate because that’s going to be a tricky thing to manage. We’ve got a decent number of staff but the minute we’ve got a few of them drop out it’s going to be hard to manage the store, so it’s almost a wait-and-see situation, but we are a bit concerned because we haven’t got some of the answers,” says Pierre Sequeira.