General News
23 January, 2022
Horsham’s hospitality uncertain in latest COVID wave
Horsham hospitality business owners voice their concerns in light of Victoria's latest COVID-19 wave.
AFTER a profitable Christmas Horsham businesses could now be facing more challenges in the wake of Victoria’s latest COVID-19 outbreak.
Hospitality businesses, in particular, are finding themselves in unknown waters following a decline in patron numbers and other issues as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Royal Hotel Horsham owner Grant Fiedler said his business has experienced a dramatic drop in customers as a result of the state’s most recent COVID wave.
“It’s quiet. You only have to look at the highway and the streets around Horsham,” he said.
“People aren’t travelling and they’re not going out like they were a month ago.
“Over the Christmas period it was good because we had a lot of travellers and people were in good spirits, but this latest spread of COVID has seemed to have kept people away to a large degree.”
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To an extent, a decline in customers during January is a familiar trend to pub owners, with many Horsham residents travelling away for holidays.
White Hart Hotel Horsham owner Bruce Hartigan said business has never been better since the reopening of hospitality venues last year but is uncertain what the next few weeks may bring if the number of positive COVID case numbers continues to climb in Victoria.
“The support has been great … our customers have been fantastic,” he said.
“Business in January usually drops down considerably … at the moment we’ve been running at what you’d call a normal January.
“I suppose in the last few days we’ve possibly gone slightly quieter because the number of positive COVID cases has increased in Horsham.
“We haven’t seen the typical number of people around town. Supermarkets have looked quieter. If you’ve got quiet supermarkets, it’s probably because people are trying to lay low.
“No one knows what’s going to happen in the next few weeks with this newest COVID wave, but hopefully it plateaus.”
As of January 20, Horsham LGA had a total of 77 positive COVID cases with an increase of 31 new active cases in the 24 hours prior.
More changes have been made to Victoria’s restrictions earlier this month with the closure of dancefloors in hospitality and entertainment venues by 11:59pm on January 12.
January 6 saw density limits have also been brought back into place with one person per two square meters and the mandatory reporting of rapid antigen testing.
While some hospitality businesses look to prepare for COVID’s newest challenges, others are still dealing with the issues brought about in 2021.
Farmhouse Providor and Cafe owner Sharon Keating said her husband and Jas Cafe owner Matt Keating is experiencing staffing issues as a consequence of last year’s vaccination mandate model.
“I feel more fortunate at the Farmhouse Providore and Cafe,” she said.
“My team was happy to get vaccinated.
“My husband is struggling a bit more with staffing at Cafe Jas due to the vaccination mandate … he lost a third of his staff.
“It was a refusal to get vaccinated.
“You might hear about the one or two staff members who refuse to get vaccinated but in his case it was more.
“It’s really challenging finding new staff at the moment.”