Update – Friday, 10 July
We’ve had several phone calls from businesses this afternoon for advice on serving customers from restricted areas. We understand there’s confusion and we’ve just received some clarification from the State Government on several fronts:
Travelling through restricted areas en route to regional Victorian destinations
If people need to travel through the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Shire of Mitchell, they can. They should plan their trip so that they don’t need to stop in an impacted area unless it is for one of the three reasons.
https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/restrictions-rest-victoria-covid-19
Extension of Stay
From 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 July, people who normally live in the Melbourne metropolitan area or Mitchell Shire but are on holidays elsewhere, may continue that holiday. However, people who live in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must not extend their holidays beyond their original booking.
Refusal of Service
What do I need to do to confirm that a patron is not from a restricted area?
Tourism operators are required to make reasonable endeavours to confirm that their principal place of residence is not in a restricted area before providing service to the member of the public. If the business operator learns that the member of the public is from a restricted area, they must refuse service.
Some examples of businesses taking reasonable endeavours include:
- Asking customers to confirm their principal place of residence is not in a restricted area by ticking a box on the form where contact details are collected.
- Displaying signage to reinforce that service is only available for patrons not from a restricted area
- Asking individuals to confirm that their place of residence is not in a restricted area at the time of booking.
Businesses are not required to collect or check the identification of individuals to confirm their place of residence.
Retail stores and shopping centres are not required to refuse entry or service to patrons who are from the restricted areas. However, accommodation providers, attractions and restaurants & cafes are subject to this requirement.
Can businesses be fined for unintentionally providing service to someone who lives in a restricted area?
No. Business owners will not be fined for unintentionally serving someone who is from a restricted area. In this scenario, the penalty would be applied to the customer.
It is up to individuals living in restricted areas to follow the Stay at Home Directions.
We anticipate further information early next week, including updates to the Tourism Guidelines and clarification about customers staying in commercial accommodation for various work purposes.
Take care,
Team Tourism
