Media Release: Sydney, Australia. 20 September, 2021.
WEDDINGS ‘IN LIMBO’ IN POST LOCKDOWN RECOVERY
Leading Sydney venue and hospitality group Navarra Venues has warned that weddings will be in limbo despite the Berejiklian Government’s confirmation that the COVID lockdown will be lifted once the State hits the 70% double vaccination target.
Navarra Venues CEO Sal Navarra said wedding operators wanted the Premier and her Crisis Cabinet to explain and justify why wedding venues will be restricted to a meagre 50-guests, when all other hospitality and entertainment venues can re-open under the 1 x person per 4sqm rule.
“As we emerge from lockdown in 2021, wedding operators and our customers are facing the same type of discrimination as we did last year, nothing’s changed, it’s like Ground Hog Day for us,” Mr Sal Navarra said.
“Our customers, staff, suppliers and all of our associated businesses want to know why a restaurant or bar will be able to have so many patrons eating and drinking inside, but a formal wedding reception in a room that holds up to 1650 people, can have only 50 guests?
“If we’re all double-vaccinated and operating under COVID-safe plans at our Navarra venues, what’s the difference between 50 and 500 guests? We can’t have one rule for one side of the hospitality industry and another rule, for weddings. This ongoing inconsistency makes no sense at all.”
