3 minute read
From the General Manager
by Boylen
Let’s Hope This is it!
IAN HORNE – AHA|SA GENERAL MANAGER
WATCH VIDEO: https://youtu.be/y29vtouF7e8
10 February 2022 saw the first meaningful move to restore trading conditions for hospitality.
The long-awaited return to stand-up consumption was made available for outside activities and combined with an early increase in internal capacities to 50% (or one person in two square metres), business opportunity was on the way back.
This came after five weeks of debilitating restrictions based around no more than 25%, or one in four, and no stand-up consumption.
The “abundance of caution” applied in South Australia has had a profound negative impact on all hospitality businesses and increasingly operators are sceptical about the “health advice” that supports such severe restrictions.
To that end the AHA|SA has again commissioned a study by the SA Centre of Economic Studies at the University of Adelaide as to the cost to our sector of such severe trading conditions. Previous studies into the November 2020, three-day and July 2021 seven-day lockdowns suggested collectives losses well in excess of $100M on both occasions. We anticipate similar numbers over an extended period.
So, what are the next restrictions to be lifted?
Well, obviously it’s the internal capacity and the ability to stand up to consume. Our first priority is to restore stand-up, even at 50%, and to also see the internal capacity increased to at least 75%.
Dancing is a priority. Dancing and live music go hand-inhand and it still staggers me that the government that has screamed from the roof tops that we are a UNESCO city of music, has done so little to help musicians, bands, promotors, technicians and venues.
All these lifting of restrictions relies on the State maintaining a steady reduction in COVID-19 cases.
That may be a challenge with the re-opening of schools and return of students, but with double vaccinations now approaching the mid 91% and booster shots being taken up, “living with COVID” must be a more realistic ambition than the job killing approach of recent times.
The AHA|SA will continue to advocate fearlessly for sensible restoration of trading conditions, as we have for the last two years. Let’s hope that whatever the future of COVID-19, we have all learned a valuable lesson on how to do it better.
Good luck to you all!
