PHOTO: Local café operators Ahmad Karanouh and Janice Al Habbas have found it difficult to manage potential customers who refuse to show their proof of vaccination.
By OLIVER BROWN
AS RESTRICTIONS continue to ease for NSW residents who are fully-vaccinated, businesses across the Coonamble shire remain concerned about enforcing rules for people who aren’t.
Following the recent announcement from the state government that restrictions for non-vaccinated people will be extended by an additional two weeks, some businesses owners say the responsibility and consequences is a lot to take on.
Vaccination rates
According to the most recently available local vaccination data, as of Wednesday 3 November, 98.7 per cent of the Coonamble shire’s 16 and over population had received its first COVID-19 vaccination, while 93.9 per cent have been fully-vaccinated.
Across the state, according to data from Sunday 7 November, 93.9 per cent of people over 16 have had one dose and 89.9 per cent have received both.
There are now many ways to display vaccination proof, from a hard-copy printed at the doctor’s office to government apps on your smartphone.
Local café owner Ahmad Karanouh said he was grateful most of his customers had been compliant with the rules but still found it difficult to deal with the occasional person who didn’t have proof of vaccination.
“It’s still very hard to ask people and we still have problems with people walking out because either they don’t have it with them, they left their phone at home or don’t have a phone at all,” Mr Karanouh said.
Need to know
“Luckily all our locals we don’t have to ask to see their vaccination anymore because we know who they are and some of the customers who come through from different towns, we know them as well and they have showed it to us once already.
“But it is very difficult asking strangers who come in if you can see their vaccination – some of them might have the piece of paper but a lot of them might say ‘I wouldn’t know how to use a phone’.”
With the recent opening of regional borders to larger city centres like Sydney and Newcastle, business owners like Mr Karanouh are starting to see a lot more unfamiliar faces.
For the most part, he has been pleased to see new people coming through – although he acknowledged he was losing potential customers almost on a daily basis because they were unable or unwilling to provide vaccination proof.
He said he was even more worried when he heard the news he would have to keep checking if people are vaccinated for another two weeks after the government extended restrictions on non-vaccinated residents from 1 December to 15 December.
“That extension of an extra two weeks is just going to make things more difficult,” he said.
Asking is awkward
Gulargambone café owner Nic Morris said she was also worried about having to ask for proof and asking them to leave if they don’t produce any, for both herself and her staff.
“If I have 15 year olds out front serving customers, I was a bit concerned it would be a bit much if they asked someone to show their proof and the customer complained – I don’t want to have them in the firing line,” Ms Morris said.
“I know that 99 per cent of people will be fine but there might be the odd person who isn’t.”
Risk of fines
Under current government regulations, local businesses may face fines of up to $5000 if they are found to have anyone on their premises who isn’t double vaccinated.
The move has been criticised by public officials and small business owners like Mr Karanouh and Mrs Morris.
“A $5000 fine would cripple me, that’s serious money – it does put a lot of responsibility on me as a small business owner with a lot of casual staff, most of which are school kids,” Mrs Morris said.
“I do see that it ultimately falls back to the business owners, but the government should have sorted it out a bit better – we all need to work together, so do customers.”
“We’re really happy to have (people) to come forward and get vaccinated and for the people who aren’t vaccinated, please just keep away. I don’t have anything against them – if that’s what they want, that’s their choice,” Mr Karanouh said.
“So we’re constantly (checking), we have to do it because we cannot risk it and have somebody not vaccinated sitting here – as hard as it is, that’s just the rules,” he said.
Government made the rules
Coonamble bottle shop owner Rodney Vallett has been able to serve customers without needing to ask for vaccination proof because he is classified as an essential service.
His customers are still required to wear a mask and check-in to his shop.
However, in his role as co-president of the local Chamber of Commerce, he said he believed local businesses should not solely have to be penalized for someone else not following the rules.
“I personally believe everyone should get vaccinated – the quicker we do the quicker we get back to normal life,” he said.
“That said, I think it’s a big ask of smaller businesses out this way to control it – we don’t have the money or availability of staff to totally stay on top of it.
“As for the fines, it’s a bit of a Catch 22 – you need to have them to make sure people are following the rules and everyone is going to try their best to do that, but people are probably going to sneak around us.”
Mr Vallet also wished to point out to any customers frustrated with the current rules that they were mandated by the government, not the businesses themselves.
Relaxed restrictions
From this week, additional freedoms have been allowed for vaccinated residents, including businesses moving to a two square metre density rule, and the removal of caps to visitors in homes and guest limits on weddings and funerals.
Mr Karanouh said the new rules would allow him to put a couple of extra tables back in his café which would help it look like it did before COVID.
“(Right now) it just doesn’t look right, especially if you have a group that come and put two tables together and then you have a whole space empty,” he said.
“A lot of people still don’t like to sit at the big tables because they don’t want to sit next to somebody they don’t know.”