What is the process for managing contact from NSW Health and/or directly from patrons who have attended the venue and tested positive for COVID-19?

Your COVID-19 Safety Plan requires simply that you “co-operate with NSW Health if contacted in relation to a positive case of COVID-19 at your workplace, and notify SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50”.

You should therefore follow the guidance of NSW Health upon being notified of a positive case having attended the venue. In the event that a patron contacts the venue directly to advise they have tested positive and have recently been in in attendance at the venue, we recommend contacting SafeWork NSW on the number listed above.

In the event of any of the above, please also contact Sean Morrissey, Deputy CEO at the AHA NSW on 0477 002 552. The AHA NSW will be able to assist you through this process, particularly in terms of managing inevitable media queries.

Can Food & Beverage attendants carry on those “crowd controlling” duties that may fall under the Security Industry Act, or are licensed security required when managing patrons outside the venue?

It is our advice that all members of staff are responsible for promoting compliance with your venue’s COVID-19 Safety Plan which, among other things, requires that you have in place strategies to manage gatherings that may occur outside the premises. On this basis, regular staff can be responsible for managing social distancing and other measures both inside and outside of the venue, without holding a security licence.

Can we refuse entry to Victorians?

Yes. The Liquor Act gives the licensee of a hotel the ultimate discretion to refuse to admit persons to a hotel. Subject to a consistent and non-discriminatory approach, it is open to venues to adopt this policy for admission of patrons.

Do venues need to have a designated door person to take patron details or can patrons do this?

There is no strict requirement for venues to have a designated door person taking names. That said, we have observed that there is a tendency for patrons to record illegible or clearly false contact details where there is a lack of supervision at the point of sign in. The accurate recording of patron details is a critical element of your obligations under the current public health orders and the venue must have in place measures to ensure that accurate patron details are recorded at all times.

Can a small country hotel keep a register with all locals that come in most days and a register with all other patrons?

No. A contemporaneous record must be kept of all staff, contractors and customers who attend the venue, with the date on which that person has attended the venue.

Can patrons be seated at the bar and do these persons need to be spaced 1.5 metres apart?

Patrons are permitted to be seated at the bar however you should ensure that this practice does not create any congestion points at or around the bar.

Persons from the same household or group in attendance at the hotel are not required to physically distance while seated together.