No isolation for hospitality workers in NSW despite calls for it

The NSW Government had already granted isolation exemptions to critical workers in the food and logistics and manufacturing sectors, who would be allowed to return to work despite being close contacts if they returned negative rapid antigen tests (RATs).

Following Thursday's national cabinet meeting, exemptions were then granted to healthcare and disability support, transport and logistics, childcare and education, food supply and distribution, emergency services including police and prisons, energy, resources and water, waste management, telecommunications and media.

Hospitality did not make the list, which will have come as a blow to businesses around NSW that are struggling to keep the doors open as staff are forced into isolation.

In Bathurst, multiple hospitality businesses have had to close temporarily due to a lack of staff, and others are on the brink of the same fate.

READ MORE: City's hospitality venues facing closure as staff forced to isolate

Bathurst Business Chamber board member Catherine Fitzsimons said it was disappointing hospitality workers weren't given access to the same exemption rules.

"It's a really difficult situation. We keep exempting more and more industries to keep people at work and we're managing the risk of infection spreading at the same time," she said.

"I don't see why if even hospital workers can go back to work if they test negative and they've been a contact, why hospitality workers wearing a mask couldn't do the same.

"I don't know why we are drawing distinctions between different groups of workers. We should be looking at risk and then letting people go back to work to keep things going, but with face masks and other things like that that allow us to keep it under control."

Without some changes, Ms Fitzsimons said there is a real possibility that hospitality businesses, and others, will shut down permanently.

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