Beer Is Back - Restrictions ease

As of Friday the 2nd from 4pm, the government ended the no standing rule in pubs, clubs and bars. A range of other restrictions are scheduled to lift by December but dancing and existing patron limits are not mentioned in an updated Roadmap to Easing Restrictions. The Avenue owner Michael Russo spoke to the Bulletin recently and said the easing of the sitting rule was the best news of the year with Friday night soon becoming one of the best evenings of trade in recent memory. 

The easing comes at the perfect time, with businesses across the region expressing discomfort with playing the role of the 'fun police' and potentially impacting relationships with their local customer base. Kirra SLSC expressed their excitement posting:

Breaking News!! We can all have a standing ovation at 4pm today!! Cheers to the long weekend!!

The Hotel industry is also happy about the recent changes but say it's time for more, Queensland Hotels Association Chief Executive Bernie Hogan says that he will talk to the government about getting 2sqm introduced for an indoor environment. The call has been backed by Clubs Queensland CEO Kelly Egan who says that "permitting one person per 2sqm outdoors became problematic when they wanted to head inside where it was only one person per 4 sqm". 

The chamber encourages its members and readers to head down to your local Surf Life Saving Club, bar or restaurant and show your support.