“The ‘lockdown lite’ restrictions announced by the Victorian State Government today are a start but will do little to alleviate business and community angst,” Tim Piper, the Victorian Head of the peak employer association Ai Group said today.
“While people will have to get used to masks the need to wear masks in all indoor workplaces is a huge restraint. And the new restrictions won’t enable restaurants, cafes and hospitality venues to return to numbers which allow them to run a profitable business. Some might not open, while others will probably do so to benefit the community and their staff.
“We welcome that students can go back to school, which is important for everybody, including businesses.
“There is a very real continued impact on small businesses and events. Young people are feeling extremely frustrated as they lose the opportunity for jobs created by events. There’s likely to be a run on restaurants and pubs but they will be limited in what they can offer.
“The combination of masks in offices and only allowing 25% capacity effectively prevents most offices from operating productively. These restrictions must be more nuanced. There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be a difference between CBD and other offices as they operate in different environments.
“The Government has considered this a two week measure. We strongly encourage it to be reconsidering these restrictions daily to enable this current lockdown to be removed as soon as possible.
“The changes will be a boost for regional Victoria, as well as Melburnians wanting to travel into the regions, as it does remove travel restrictions within the State,” Mr Piper said.
