By Jess Baker
A Granite Belt business owner has expressed his frustration with increasingly “aggressive” customers, who he claims are unwilling to comply with Queensland’s new Covid-safe check-in rules.
Hugh Strong, owner of Stanthorpe martial arts school Jade Tiger Kung Fu, said a number of customers in recent weeks had demonstrated “inexcusable” behaviour when asked to sign into his business.
Problems started to arise for Hugh and his business after the Check In Qld app was made mandatory for a number of new sectors, including his, on 9 July 2021.
Hugh said that while most customers were “pretty good” with signing in, others were not only grudging but verbally abusive.
He said a couple recently “exploded” at a 17-year-old senior student at his school who he had asked to oversee check-in procedures and take customers’ temperatures using a thermal gun.
“I said well if you’re not willing to do this … if you are not willing to sign in, we do not have to allow you into the building,” Hugh said.
“They came back with the usual tirade of ‘I have a constitutional right’ … and they ended up leaving.
“They weren’t happy about it, and that’s fine I really don’t care because the safety of my students is far more important to me than somebody’s opinion on (signing in) – especially where it’s mandated.”
Under a new direction from Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, business owners in a number of new sectors are required to “make all reasonable efforts to electronically collect contact information” about patrons and staff through the Check In Qld app.
Hugh said his martial arts school’s governing body also requires him to check patrons’ temperatures upon entry.
“We have to do the check-in. We don’t get that option (not to) and I believe the fine’s $6000 per person who hasn’t scanned in,” he said.
“I don’t have a spare $6000 per person floating around.”
He said fines as expensive as these would “destroy” small businesses like his, but he is finding more and more people are unwilling to register their details with his business.
A number of other businesses across the Southern Downs and Granite Belt have also reported difficulties enforcing Queensland’s new Covid-safe check-in rules, but said most customers have been courteous.
Warwick florist Bryson’s Place owner Lynn Bryson said she had only had one customer since 9 July who was unwilling to check into her business using the app.
“People have been quite good about it which is nice to know,” she said.
“On the weekend, we had a phenomenal amount of people through and they all said ‘we’re checking in’.”
Stanthorpe’s O’Mara’s Hotel also reported a relatively easy transition from manual sign-ins to digital, though barmaid Tammy Burns said to revert to manual sign-ins would be “very handy”.
“People never complained about having to do that,” Tammy said.
“It was just when it went to the scan-in, because a lot of people don’t even have a phone or they have an old phone that doesn’t have apps.”
Tammy said it was the staff’s responsibility to record customers’ details in the app where customers could not record them themselves.
“It’s hard, especially when you’re busy. It’s kind of like you need an extra person to make sure all these things are done, but then you can’t afford to pay all the wages all the time,” she said.
“It’s alright if you’re a club and you’ve got someone on the front counter, but if you’re just a little pub or a little restaurant you can’t have someone manning it and you just hope that no one gets by you.”
Despite the pub’s struggles with enforcing the new restrictions, Tammy said she thinks the new rules are “working OK”.
The new direction from Dr Jeanette Young also states that individuals are obliged to provide their contact information using the Check In Qld app or the business’ Check In Qld app.
Any person who fails to comply with the direction, without reasonable excuse, could face fines of up to 100 penalty units – $13,785 – or six months’ imprisonment.
