The Tasmanian Hospitality Association has been outspoken in its opposition to existing COVID-19 restrictions.
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It claims many businesses are questioning their viability, bound by some of the harshest restrictions in the country. This despite the fact that Tasmania has been without a case of COVID-19 for 116 days.
And it's easy to see their point. In Tasmania, pub-going patrons are still limited by a ban on dancing and drinking standing up - except if your'e outside.
Yet other states, including NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, have been living almost restriction free for about five months.
THA chief executive Steve Old says its time the government stands up for the hospitality industry and has accused the Tasmanian Health Department of sitting on its hands, despite the progressive easing of restrictions in other states with far more recent coronavirus cases.
In what should be one of the busiest times of year for operators keen to take big steps forward in their recovery after a tumultuous nine months, just how fair are the restrictions?
The only way we can really know the answer to this question is to determine if they are working.
The fact that we haven't seen any new cases in Tasmania since borders reopened is a testament to the procedures we have in place, but some seem less necessary than others.
However, as the Premier Peter Gutwein has said all along, the safety of Tasmanians remains paramount. We also shouldn't necessarily be comparing our COVID-safe practices to those in other states.
After-all, "fortress Tasmania" has largely walked to the beat of its own drum throughout the pandemic. And while we may have experienced trips along the way, we have come out the other side stronger. Now is not the time to take a step too far.
This week Mr Gutwein told Parliament that Public Health was reviewing the dancing and vertical drinking restrictions. So perhaps some reprieve isn't far away.
In the meantime we mustn't lose sight of how lucky we are to be able to go out at all. To be able to socialise and ultimately support our local businesses who need us the most.
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