Under the XX Public Health Order, businesses are required to develop a COVID-19 Safety Plan. This checklist sets out mandatory obligations to reduce the risk of COVID-19 as well as guidance for business to meet these requirements. PART A: MANDATORY OBLIGATIONS
□ Capacity must not exceed 50 customers or one customer per 4 square metres in an existing seated dining area, whichever is the lesser. Venues, such as clubs and licensed hotels, may have multiple existing seated dining areas.
□ Bookings can only be to a maximum of 10 people. PART B: GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESS
Wellbeing of staff and customers
□ Exclude staff and customers who are unwell from the premises. Identify how the exclusion of unwell people will be implemented. This may include symptom screening on entry, signage, temperature checks, or SMS confirmation when booking reconfirmed.
□ Provide staff with information on COVID-19, including when to get tested. Ensure staff are aware of their leave entitlements if they are sick or required to self-isolate.
□ Ensure clear display of the customer conditions of entry on public platforms, such as website, social media platforms and at the venue entrance.
□ Provide appropriate staff training in relation to staying away from work when sick, physical distancing, cleaning requirements and managing sick customers.
Physical distancing
□ There should be no more than 10 customers sharing a table.
□ Consider measures to reduce the movement of customers and the number of surfaces touched, for example by using separate doors for entry and exit, separating customer order and collection points, reducing service to table service only, or implementing the use of contactless ordering.
□ Move or remove tables and seating as required, including in waiting areas for takeaway services, to support 1.5 metres of physical distance. Members of the same household are not required to physically distance.
□ Reduce crowding wherever possible and promote physical distancing with markers on the floor in areas where people are asked to queue, such as at the bar.
□ Ensure 1.5 metres between active gaming machines. Customers using gaming machines are included in the maximum capacity limit of each seated table service area, and customers from different seated table service areas should not co-mingle.
□ Large venues with multiple existing seated dining areas should take steps to prevent co-mingling of customers from separate dining areas within the venue, where practical.
□ Where reasonably practical, ensure staff maintain 1.5 metres physical distancing at all times (including at meal breaks) and assign workers to specific work stations. Distance cashier terminals and establishing processes so front of house workers can collect food without entering the food preparation area.
□ Alcohol can only be consumed by customers whilst seated.
□ Use telephone or video for essential meetings where practical.
□ Where reasonably practical, stagger start times and breaks for staff members to minimise the risk of close contact.
□ Consider physical barriers such as plexiglass around counters with high volume interactions with customers.
□ Review regular deliveries and request contactless delivery and invoicing where practical.
□ Ensure no more than 10 customers per tour group for wineries, breweries and distilleries.
□ Have strategies in place to manage gatherings that may occur immediately outside the premises.
□ Take measures to ensure drivers of courtesy vehicles minimise close contact with passengers.
□ Due to the high risk of transmission, group singing should be avoided and solo singers should maintain at least 3 metres physical distance from other people. Wind instruments (such as flute, oboe or clarinet) may also be higher risk and should be avoided.
Hygiene and cleaning
□ Adopt good hand hygiene practice and ensure hand hygiene facilities are available to customers and staff.
□ Ensure bathrooms are well stocked with hand soap and paper towels, and have posters with instructions on how to wash hands.
□ Self-serve buffet style food service areas, communal bar snacks, and communal condiments are not permitted.
□ Cutlery and single use items such as straws and napkins must not be stored in communal areas or on tables. Non-disposable cutlery and tableware is permitted when washed using a commercial grade dishwasher and glasswasher. Otherwise, single use cutlery is suggested. Dispose of single use items immediately once customers have finished with them.
□ Menus must be laminated, displayed or be single use. Place takeaway menus outside the venue.
□ Areas frequented by staff or customers must be cleaned at least daily with detergent or disinfectant. Frequently touched areas and surfaces must be cleaned several times per day with a detergent or disinfectant solution or wipe.
□ Disinfectant solutions need to be maintained at an appropriate strength and used in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions. Clean down table and chair hard furnishings, sugar, salt or pepper items, and any laminated menus between customers with a detergent or disinfectant solution or wipe.
□ Staff are to wear gloves when cleaning and wash hands thoroughly before and after with soap and water.
□ Limit the use of cash transactions by encouraging contactless payment options.
□ Children’s play area surfaces and equipment should be cleaned at least daily with detergent or disinfectant. If this is not practical, e.g. indoor ball pits, the play area should remain closed.
□ Premises currently closed under the public health orders, e.g. cinemas and gyms, should remain closed.
Record keeping
□ Keep a record of name and a mobile number or email address for all staff, dine-in customers and contractors for a period of at least 28 days. Ensure records are used only for the purposes of tracing COVID-19 infections and are stored confidentially and securely.
□ Employers should make staff aware of the COVIDSafe app and the benefits of the app to support contact tracing if required. The Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 must be complied with in relation to the COVIDSafe app.
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