HSA June 21
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Years Serving the<br />
SA Hotel Industry<br />
From the President<br />
DAVID BASHEER – AHA|SA PRESIDENT<br />
Moving Forward, Not Backwards<br />
The AHA|SA has launched an extensive campaign<br />
urging all South Australians to continue to scan into<br />
venues.<br />
Looking at what unfolded in Victoria simply reinforces<br />
our continual vulnerability.<br />
QR scanning is critical to allow contract tracers to<br />
quickly track any outbreak, keep South Australians<br />
healthy and, in turn, it helps keep our businesses open<br />
and our jobs in place.<br />
It has been 12 months since our tentative reopening.<br />
Can you remember when we celebrated being allowed<br />
10 people in our pubs?!<br />
We still ride the roller-coaster, as the following facts<br />
starkly illustrate:<br />
1. We were told in late April last year that downloading<br />
the COVID-SAfe app was our ticket to normality.<br />
2. Then it was adhering to the various restrictions.<br />
Some of those restrictions we understood, others<br />
made little sense. Many seemed too onerous.<br />
Yet we did what we had to for the good of all<br />
South Australians.<br />
3. In August we had COVID-SAfe marshals imposed<br />
upon our business. We were assured that was our<br />
ticket to freedom.<br />
4. Before the November lockdown, that changed, and<br />
it became QR codes.<br />
5. Now we have learnt our return to normal trading will<br />
be governed by how many people get vaccinated.<br />
SAPOL has been consistent in its view it is QR codes<br />
that are the most important weapon to allow business<br />
to return to normal. We will continue to back SAPOL’s<br />
initiative. It is a simple obligation that has very real<br />
benefits.<br />
Please encourage your staff and patrons to stay<br />
vigilant on this.<br />
Additionally, in March and again late last month the<br />
national AHA wrote to the Prime Minister and national<br />
cabinet seeking a targeted, coordinated assistance for<br />
businesses and employees forced to close due to any<br />
snap lockdowns, such as we saw in SA in November.<br />
We cannot be caught in a stand-off between a State<br />
and Federal Government, as has occurred most recently<br />
in Victoria.<br />
A more liberal definition of a hot spot needs to be<br />
agreed upon. Clearly, the best result is for whole<br />
cities and states not to be locked down in the first<br />
place. Keeping the doors open is the best support for<br />
businesses such as ours.<br />
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