Buy Surf Coast: Keeping us all well as restrictions ease

Keeping everybody safe and well is foremost in the minds of Surf Coast hospitality businesses as they prepare to take the next step in the region’s recovery thanks to the easing of restrictions from Monday, June 1.

Everyone is urged to play their part so that we can all enjoy the simple pleasure of going out for a meal.
As Jan Juc’s popular Swell Café owner Scott Pond said: “Please just play it safe – if we all do this properly, it’s manageable. We have all received clear guidelines in regards to our hygiene and distancing, so if people actually do it, we’ll be okay. The last thing anybody wants is to go backwards.”
As of Monday, cafes, restaurants and hotels that offer food will be allowed to have up to 20 customers per enclosed space, as long as physical distancing requirements and a number of other safety precautions (such as extra cleaning and staff health screening)
are met.
Like many other local business owners, Scott is “really grateful for the community’s great support” during the past three months, keeping his 23 employees working.
He added: “Re-opening, with the amount of detail we’ve been given, we have a plan in place to create a space where people can dine safely. We want to make sure we’re well on our side of the counter and not contributing to anybody else being ill on the other side. We have hand washing stations and sanitiser, we’ll take your details, we’ll do everything we can do to make it safe for our customers and us.”
As Mt Moriac Hotel bar manager Mara Collins put it: “We really miss our customers and can’t wait to have them back in here, we definitely miss them as much as they miss us.”

How you can help keep our restaurants/cafes safe:

• Sanitise your hands regularly
• Stand/sit where staff direct you to or where markings are
• Use assigned entrance and exit points and keep your distance from others
• Provide venues with your contact information to assist with rapid contact tracing if needed
• Pay using contactless EFTPOS where possible
• Be patient. This is a learning curve for staff and customers so let’s all work together.