Sunday night saw Perth metropolitan areas, Peel and South West regions of Western Australia enter a snap 5 day lockdown.
All residents in those areas need to stay at home unless it is for essential work, providing healthcare for a vulnerable person, essential shopping or to exercise in your local neighbourhood. The wearing of face masks is mandatory if you leave your home to conduct this business.
Is retail trade restricted during the lock down?
Retail businesses, other than food retailing businesses, are not restricted businesses for the purposes of the Perth metro, Peel and South West lockdown which is in place until 6:00pm on Friday, 5 February 2021.
Retail food services including pubs, restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets are not permitted to trade except to offer takeaway or home delivery services. Food courts will close however, retail food services operating within a food court can offer take away or home delivery services. Cinemas, entertainment venues and casinos, and beauty therapy services including hairdressers, nail salons, and massage parlours, are also not permitted to open.
Despite this, employees living within the restricted area are not permitted to leave their homes unless it is to perform work as an employee of an “essential provider”. This includes:
- a supermarket, grocery store, bakery, butcher, fruit and vegetable store or fishmonger; or
- an indoor or outdoor market, but only to obtain groceries or fresh food and not to obtain food or beverages prepared on site (whether for consumption on site or take away); or
- a restaurant or café to the extent that the business provides take-away services only;
- a bottle shop, newsagent, pharmacy, hardware store or pet store.
Notably, this does not include retailers selling primarily fashion items and accessories, furniture, electronics, or white goods; as such, these business and affiliated businesses (such as distribution centres) will likely be required to order their employees to stay home.
All businesses that decide to remain open (including in a limited capacity) must comply with strict requirements with respect to:
- social distancing;
- following the applicable COVID Safety Guidelines for your industry;
- recording the details of customers and workers who attend the workplace; and
- cleaning.
Who is required to wear a mask?
In the affected regions, for the period of the lockdown, face masks must be worn outside of the house at all times including while at work.
Specifically, face masks must be worn in the following settings
- shopping (retail, supermarkets and shopping centres)
- on public/shared transport and waiting areas for public/shared transport
- weddings and funerals
- while waiting for takeaway food
- at workplaces.
Children 12 years and under and people affected by a medical condition are exempt.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind all members that while you must take reasonable steps to advise customers to wear a mask in your store (ie signage, staff on entrance) it is not the responsibility of retailers to enforce these rules. Should a customer refuse this lawful direction, please refer the matter to security or police.
Download Mask Wearing Signage
Mandatory contact registers required from 2 February
Mandatory contact registers will be put into place early as part of the 5 day lockdown. From 6am on Tuesday 2 February 2021, the following businesses will now be required to keep mandatory contact registers:
- retail venues (supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware and department stores)
- retail components of other business where customers are physically present (bank branches, post offices and customer facing showrooms.
- commercial buses or vessels that can carry 12 or more people where different groups of people interact (party buses, wine and food tour buses, hop on/hop off tour buses, sightseeing tours, party/function boats, sightseeing/tour boats, private charter buses/boats)
- indoor takeaway food and beverage services (i.e. indoor food courts, pizza bars, kebab shops and bubble tea shops)
- venues with a COVID Event Plan (500 patrons or more)
- certain outdoor events under 500 people (weddings, corporate functions, fetes and festivals)
- public and private hospitals (persons visiting patients, attending meetings/lectures, couriers, and contractors)
Contact registration is encouraged, but not mandatory for other types of businesses and gatherings.
Businesses already using their own QR code must also display the SafeWA QR code. The SafeWA app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.