Liquor & Gaming NSW today fined Royal Hotel in Ryde $5,000 for COVID safety breaches that included not being able to produce a safety plan when asked, no COVID safety marshal or licensee onsite and allowing patrons to stand while consuming alcohol.
Uniformed inspectors visited the pub yesterday afternoon and, while observing the QR code posted to the door, were able to enter the premises without needing to sign in.
They asked to speak to the licensee, who was not present, and staff were unable to find or produce the business' COVID-19 Safety Plan.
The inspectors further observed groups of patrons milling about and standing drinking their beverages, and when asked, staff admitted that they were aware patrons had to be seated to consume food or drinks.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said the pub knew what it was supposed to do but failed to enforce the measures.
"When the licensee arrived, we were able to get a copy of their safety plan, but it wasn't made visible or available and the plan itself wasn't being implemented," Mr Argeres said.
"In addition, some of the systems were simply not COVID safe – for example, gaming machines were not spaced apart and instead staff stated that reserved signs were placed on adjacent machines only after patrons had chosen to play a particular one.
"Inspectors did not observe these signs on the machines during their visit, and the staff present were not sufficiently supervising the area in any case.
"Overall there was little attempt to manage physical distancing inside the venue. Inspectors observed thatcustomers could go in and out as they pleased, undermining the ability for authorities to conduct effective contact tracing."
This is the first time Liquor & Gaming inspectors have visited Royal Hotel however, should breaches be detected upon a second visit, it could result in a temporary closure of the venue.
"All pubs and licensed venues must have their act together, or they risk closure. This example demonstrates a suite of serious health risks, any one of which could contribute to a new cluster.
"From today, not just pubs, but also casinos, clubs, bars, cafes and restaurants (even those that do not sell liquor) need to visit nsw.gov.au to understand their obligations, then
