Businesses have threatened to ignore coronavirus restrictions following protests which saw more than 60,000 people flood the streets of Australia.
Almost three months after strict lockdown measures were imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19, business owners say they’re ready to revolt.
Restaurateurs this week began expressing their frustration with dining restrictions after tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
The rallies were organised following the death of George Floyd in the custody of US police, and were also protesting the treatment of indigenous people in Australia.
The protests were allowed despite COVID-19 restrictions still in place which until last week had been heavily policed, forcing businesses to turn away paying customers since March 23.
In Surfers Paradise, the co-owner of Italian restaurant Costa D’Oro admitted seeing the large protests made her want to break the rules.
In Surfers Paradise, the co-owner of Italian restaurant Costa D’Oro, Nuccia Fusco (pictured) admitted seeing the protests made her want to break the rules
‘My first reaction was ”you have to be kidding”,’ Nuccia Fusco told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Ms Fusco said the fact people could protest after small businesses were forced to go three months without income was a slap in the face.
‘If this is allowed, we should be allowed the same thing and have as many people as we want in the restaurant,’ she determined.
But at her restaurant, they’re forced to turn away droves of customers every single night because of restrictions allowing only 50 patrons at a time.
Ms Fusco said maybe they’d receive more leniency from the government if they staged a protest.
‘I’ve been thinking well maybe the restaurant and all the other operators should do something, put up signs and have a protest day so we can have as many people as we want too. This does make you want to rebel when you see all these other people getting away with it… Why can’t we do the same thing?’ she asked.
Ms Fusco said she was set to defy the restrictions and allow more than 50 people in her restaurant this weekend, but her husband talked her out of breaking the rules, for now.
Weddings have been restricted to just 20 people in New South Wales and Victoria. Above, a wedding of just five on Sydney Harbour, at the height of the pandemic. This couple married at the height of the pandemic, meaning they could only have three guests
Curzon Hall is one of five venues owned by Navarra Venues and will be open for unlimited guests by July
While many of those who attended the protest wore face masks and used hand sanitiser, medical experts fear there is still a risk of the highly infectious virus passing among them
In spite of the financial restrictions of the lockdown and current government legislation, Ms Fusco said her staff were simply excited to be back at work.
‘Our staff are just so happy to be back doing what they love best. Giving their best service with a smile and a skip in their step,’ she said alongside a video of a dancing waiter.
Similarly, Sal Navarra, the CEO of five prime wedding venues in Sydney under the Navarra Venues umbrella, including Le Montage and Curzon Hall, on Monday announced he would ignore government advice following Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Photos taken at the rallies – which occurred throughout Australia – appear to show people ignoring social distancing policies as they crammed into tight spaces and marched through the cities.
Mr Navarra, who has been accused of refusing to return customer deposits amid the coronavirus pandemic, said it was untenable to continue to disappoint his brides – some of whom book their dream dates years in advance – while the government was allowing so many people to attend demonstrations without punishment.
He said his business would reopen as normal in as little as three weeks.
‘From July, we are reopening,’ he said. ‘Reopening to any numbers. Yes we will implement social distancing, but we don’t want to deal with upset clients anymore.
‘It is not fair on them… The government allowed 15,000 or 20,000 people to gather.’
In Surfers Paradise, the co-owner of Italian restaurant Costa D’Oro admitted seeing the protests made her want to break the rules
The protest in Sydney was allowed, then banned, then allowed once again – and tens of thousands eventually showed
The rules currently state just 20 people can attend a wedding in New South Wales – an increase from just five (including the bride and groom) at the height of the pandemic.
Mr Navarra said he predicts there will not be a spike in coronavirus cases despite the close proximity of demonstrators this weekend.
‘If my predictions are correct, then we will reopen as usual on the 1st, 7th or 15th of July,’ he said.
Further details of his plan will likely be announced on Tuesday morning.
The Black Lives Matter protests – where people marched in solidarity with African-American demonstrators protesting over the death of George Floyd, and marched against Indigenous deaths in custody – were the first major public gatherings of their kind since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced.
Anyone who attended those rallies really should stay home and keep away from the rest of the community for at least two weeks
Dr Tony Bartone, president of the Australian Medical Association
Many protesters wore face masks at the demonstrations and in Queensland, police even helped distribute them. But the timing of the demonstrations sparked outrage from officials, including senior government ministers.
Finance Minister Matthias Cormann has branded the protests as ‘reckless, irresponsible and self-indulgent’.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC Radio that the demonstrations went ahead was ‘incredibly unfortunate’.
Mr Birmingham said ‘there could have been other ways’ to protest, pointing to how Anzac Day was commemorated with simple ceremonies on driveways across the country.
While rules vary across Australia, coronavirus restrictions continue to hurt livelihoods and affect significant events in peoples’ lives. In New South Wales, pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants can have no more than 50 people. Funerals and church gatherings have the same limit, while weddings can have no more than 20 guests.
Sal Navarra, the CEO of five prime wedding venues in Sydney under the Navarra Venues umbrella, including Le Montage and Curzon Hall, on Monday announced he would ignore government advice following Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protests
Curzon Hall is one of five venues owned by Navarra Venues and will be open for unlimited guests by July
In Victoria, restaurants, cafes and hospitality businesses can have 20 customers, which will increase to 50 in a fortnight. 20 people can attend a wedding and 50 can attend a funeral.
The protests came as fears of the coronavirus recede and health officials report low levels of community transmission.
But protesters should still self-quarantine for ‘at least two weeks’ and ‘really think about what they’ve done’, Dr Tony Bartone, the President of the Australian Medical Association, warned on Monday.
He made the comments on Melbourne radio on Monday, telling Radio 3AW just one person with a coronavirus infection at a mass gathering could lead to a ‘significant outbreak’ occurring.
He warned demonstrators that they can be infectious while still showing no symptoms.
Australia will know in 14 days whether 60,000 protesters marching for ‘Black Lives Matter’ has sparked a coronavirus ‘second wave’… or if there’s just no excuse but to drop the COVID restrictions
By Daniel Piotrowski for Daily Mail Australia (Comment)
How can 60,000 people march shoulder-to-shoulder down city streets… but weddings and funerals can be restricted to just 20, 30 or 50 people?
That’s the reasonable question many are asking after Black Lives Matter protests across the nation exposed the painful contradictions in Australia’s approach to the coronavirus.
Thousands poured onto the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Saturday, in an act of defiance after months of obeying unwieldy and often devastating COVID-19 restrictions.
Taking a stand for the rights of Indigenous people, and linking arms with those protesting George Floyd’s death in the United States, was deemed essential.
But while 20,000 marched in Sydney, 30,000 in Brisbane and 10,000 in Melbourne, the shackles of our COVID-19 rules remain firmly in place.
More than 60,000 protesters gathered to protest for Black Lives Matter across Australia at the weekend, including 20,000 who marched from Sydney’s Town Hall to Belmore Park
Businesses have closed, workers lost their jobs, weddings have been cancelled, loved ones have died alone and their deaths mourned by the few permitted to say goodbye.
So it’s no surprise the size of the protests triggered a furious backlash.
Talkback radio and social media erupted on Friday morning when it was first reported that the size of the protest in Sydney – planned as a small vigil – was set to swell to more than 10,000 demonstrators marching the CBD
A grieving widow told Radio 2GB the march was ‘disgusting’ given the ‘heartwrenching’ calls she had to make to loved ones seeking to mourn her husband’s death.
‘We had to say, I’m really sorry, you can’t come (to the socially-distanced funeral),’ the widow tearfully recounted. ‘You can’t even stand in the garden.’
It was rough. And it still is. Rules vary across Australia, but funerals are still limited to 50 mourners in New South Wales, and in Victoria, 20 indoors and 30 outside. Weddings in those two states are still limited to just 20 attendees.
The demonstrations – coming in the middle of a pandemic – sparked outrage given similar leniency was not given to funerals, weddings and other important events … but will they prove Australia is ready to let go of the shackles of COVID-19 restrictions?
Meanwhile, many businesses are yet to re-open, thanks to corona rules. Gigs, cultural events and music festivals are unthinkable. Sport stands and museums will soon open to just a trickle.
Yet tens of thousands marched the streets – in some states legally, in others less so.
At the same time, those who protested at the weekend were all too aware about the risks of COVID-19.
In Sydney, the air smelt of hand sanitiser.
The majority of protesters wore face masks – a scene once alien to Australia.
The cause – to shine a spotlight on Indigenous deaths in custody and make a stand against racism – was noble.
But what chafes the most, and has outraged many, is that the demonstration showed Australia’s coronavirus rules are clearly inconsistent.
The confusion and double standards come from the top down.
20,000 people flooded the streets of Sydney on Saturday (above) , 30,000 in Brisbane and 10,000 in Melbourne as part of Black Lives Matter rallies, despite COVID-19 restrictions remaining in place
The protests were mostly peaceful across the country, however demonstrators and police clashed at Sydney’s Central Station on Saturday evening – with protesters maced
Just last week, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the demonstration could go ahead.
‘Protesting is an inherent right in our democracy and I ask anybody who is considering to do that, to do it peacefully and to maintain a social distance from other people,’ she said.
‘You might actually be in a place where there’s lots of other people around, lots of other groups around. That’s okay so long as you manage social distancing.’
Days later, after rebellion in her own ranks, Ms Berejiklian changed her tune.
She even had the gumption to claim the NSW government would ‘never ever give the green light to thousands of people flagrantly disregarding the health orders’.
And how can Prime Minister Scott Morrison tell the community it’s time to ‘get out from under the doona’ – and write off smaller protests as a sign of a ‘free country’ – then watch as his ministers rubbish a protest as ‘reckless, irresponsible and self-indulgent’?
Hundreds of protesters ‘took the knee’ at Belmore Park at the end of the march through Sydney on Saturday
Authorities said on Monday that we should know in a fortnight whether there has been a ‘Black Lives Matter’ outbreak, or if the virus’s transmission in the community really is as low as hoped.
Victorian deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen said: ‘It really will be at least a week and probably closer to two weeks before we have an idea of whether there’s been any transmissions or outbreaks related to that.’
As of this afternoon, there were fewer than 460 active cases across Australia.
Seven in 10 cases across the past week were acquired overseas, in a very positive development.
Whether there is protest cluster will the ultimate test of whether Australia is ready to cast aside the most onerous of COVID restrictions.
If 60,000 Australians can go out and exercise one of their most important rights, without the horror of another COVID outbreak, surely the rest of us can begin to take the shackles off and get the economy moving?
We’ll know by June 20.