The Sydney Portugal Community Club in Marrickville will be shut tomorrow for seven days for COVID safety breaches after a $5,000 fine and three visits did not result in improvements.
Liquor & Gaming Director of Compliance Dimitri Argeres said the Portugal Club will be the fourth business closed for COVID safety breaches and will be shut from 5am Wednesday 28 October to 5am Wednesday 4 November.
“Inspectors visited the club three times and observed breaches relating to their COVID-19 Safety Plan, overbooking groups, gaming machine spacing, and inadequate check in processes,” Mr Argeres said.
“Since the closure order was issued however, some of the things the pub was fined for are no longer breaches – for example bookings can now be up to 30 people rather than 10 and while punters need to be spaced at least 1.5 metres apart, gaming machines do not.
“What has not changed, is having robust, digital check in processes that allow for effective contact tracing in the event a positive case has visited the venue.”
Service NSW has a free COVID Safe Check-in QR code for all businesses registered as COVID Safe. Anyone can check in using this code – even if they don’t have a Service NSW account.
Inspectors from Liquor & Gaming NSW, NSW Fair Trading and SafeWork NSW have now conducted 5,605 COVID safety visits, issued 185 penalties worth $817,000 and temporarily closed four businesses.
Recent fines were issued to:
- Cokco Korean Restaurant – Wentworth Point
- Common Ground – Long Jetty
- House Bar Bistrot – Potts Point
- Incafe Restaurant – Haymarket
- Jan Ta Bal – Strathfield
- Kaffe Bar – Mona Vale
- Milkbar at Café Ish (formerly Smokin Grill Pty Ltd) – Redfern
- Santhosam Family Restaurant – Pendle Hill
- Steyne Hotel – Manly
- Sydney Tower Dining – Sydney CBD
- The Chocpot – Canterbury
