SA Cracks Down On Clubs As Qld & NSW Report Venue Breaches

South Australia has announced a crackdown on nightclubs following unsafe practices at the weekend. 

"As a result of the concerning activities we saw in the CBD over the weekend, nightclubs and pubs will be restricted from trading until they have completed, and have approved, a COVID management plan," said SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at a press conference yesterday afternoon.

"We saw significant concerns around behaviour outside venues and also, with over 120 venues being visited over the course of the weekend, several warnings were given in relation to the way they were managing their operations. And we understand, based on the health advice, that this is a high risk activity and as a result of the need to ensure the community's safety we'll be preventing nightclubs from trading until they have their COVID management plan."

Currently, South Australia is operating with relaxed social distancing restrictions, with the State Government website reporting that "While physical distancing of 1.5 m is still strongly encouraged, density requirements within venues will be reduced to one person per two square metres". 

Venues are also allowed to either serve alcohol or open their dance floor but are not permitted to do both under the 29 June restrictions. 

"In some respects there was a total disregard for social distancing. Given the nature of this virus and the ease with which it spreads, in that type of context, the decision to restrict nightclub activity until the have a management plan, I think is a very sound one," continued Stevens. "Anyone who sees vision of the crowd behaviours around these venues would certainly identify the fact that there was no effort to socially distance and there was no control or management of significant crowds converging outside."

"We were giving every sector of the community an opportunity to trade as viably as possible. And, it's unfortunate that we are not able to maintain that as this point. We are hopeful that the COVID management plan process will give particular venues the opportunity to trade. We need to be mindful of the need to protect the community of South Australia and ensure that if COVID-19 finds its way into our community that it can be controlled and this particular type of activity makes it difficult to do that."

The announcement comes just days after venue capacity breaches took place in both Queensland and New South Wales. 

Police are currently investigating a breach at Prohibition nightclub in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. 

As reported by SBS, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed that police are investigating an incident where nightclub-goers were seen dancing shoulder-to-shoulder in the venue. Current COVID safe restrictions in Queensland require dance floors to remain closed. 

Additionally, police are investigating a bush doof that took place just outside of Byron Bay at the weekend. 

ABC have reported that more than 1000 people attended the dance party on a private property in Wilson's Creek, breaching the state's restrictions of a maximum of 20 people to gather in a home at one time. 

Tweed/Byron Detective Chief Inspector Matt Kehoe has said the behaviour is "very disappointing".

"You can still have a good, smaller party, but certainly don't go to the extremes that we've seen in the last few days."

Northern NSW Local Health District Wayne Jones has also condemned the actions of organisers and partygoers, calling it "bewildering". 

"[We have] an amazing level of concern that people believe that they can congregate to 1,000 people and disregard physical distancing and put at risk not only themselves, but the entire community of the North Coast."

"We are absolutely dumbfounded."