Business NSW, the peak body for small businesses in New South Wales has called for a reopening of the economy based on vaccinated people having increased freedoms.
Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter said that vaccinated people should be at the forefront of reopening, with services that can be delivered outdoors at the top of the list of those which could reopen.
“The current COVID-19 lockdown is having a significant and damaging impact on our economy, on our community’s mental health and on livelihoods,” he said.
“It is now time for us to start the planning for reopening parts of the economy in a COVID Safe way, starting with people who are fully vaccinated.”
“We have seen significant increases in vaccination rates across the state. Passing the six million mark last week was a huge milestone and we congratulate the NSW community for their work in driving up these numbers.”
“Reopening low risk businesses, particularly those that are primarily based outdoors, such as outdoor personal trainers or hospitality venues with outdoor seating, to people who are fully vaccinated should be a priority.”
The NSW Government should be providing SMEs with a clear vision of what hurdles need to be overcome in order to reopen safely to vaccinated customers.
“The Government needs to provide clear guidance and a roadmap for these industries so they can start to plan their re-opening and have all necessary controls in place from day one,” said Hunter.
“Of course, those businesses must continue to operate in a COVID Safe way, combining vaccination with other COVID controls such as QR code registration, face masks and social distancing.”
“We also need to make it easier for businesses to prioritise safety by having a straightforward method for customers and staff to prove their vaccination status.”
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