The Market shop and café in Jindabyne has been ordered to close for a week from today, 9 July, for serial COVID safety breaches across repeat visits from police, according to a media statement issued by Service NSW.
NSW Police visited The Market a total of four times between 29 June and Friday 2 July, identifying breaches of:
- staff and patrons not wearing face coverings,
- no signage relating to wearing face coverings or patron capacity,
- no QR code check-in outside or within the premises, and
- failure to produce a COVID-19 sign-in register.
The café owners, a 32-year-old woman and 33-year-old man, were arrested and charged on 30 June with not wear fitted face covering in retail business.
They were granted conditional bail; however, when officers revisited the café on 2 July, they found no face coverings being worn by members of the public, no QR code and no sign-in sheet.
The owners have been issued a total of $2,000 in fines for Public Health Order breaches and a Future Court Attendance Notice for breach of bail conditions. They are due to appear in Cooma Local Court on 5 August.
SafeWork NSW’s Director WHS Metro Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said it is disappointing the seriousness of the issue isn’t getting through to some businesses.
“A digital check-in process allows for effective contact tracing and is vital in the event a positive case visits the location,” Mr Argeres said.
“This venue has consistently failed to maintain COVID safety standards and has not complied with its own COVID safety plan or the Public Health Orders designed to help reduce community transmission.
“After finding more breaches on the fourth visit, it was clear that the ongoing operation of the premises presented a clear and significant risk to public health and needed to be sent a strong message.
“Businesses need to be doing the right thing to keep their customers and the community safe. We can’t have some businesses complying and others doing the opposite, putting everyone at risk. Any business that repeatedly fails to comply with the Public Health Orders faces temporary closure”.
The Market shop and café will be closed for seven days from today, Friday 9 July.
