Today is a double-edged sword

Today is the day that COVID-19 officially enters South Australia. I say this not to be a naysayer but to be a realist. If your conversations are like mine, today has been at the forefront of everybody's minds.

Here at Business SA, as the peak body for business in South Australia, we have been quietly looking forward to this day since the borders were closed in the first place. Businesses across many industry sectors have been hit with struggles to get stock, fewer customers, finding enough people to fill their roles, and particularly finding people with the right skills. Throw a couple of lockdowns into the mix and several periods of severe restrictions, and local business owners have lost hundreds of millions of dollars.

But South Australians have held their heads up. We're a resilient bunch, and we've built strength from each other. We've shopped local, and we've toured locally to support each other as best we can. Now, we need to support each other in this next phase, and this includes getting vaccinated.

It is the right thing to do, and it is how we ensure our family, friends, and businesses are better protected. It is how we help those who cannot get the vaccination because of their age or compromised immune system. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it, I am happy to do this because I know that most of Business SA's members want this. In the absence of government vaccination mandates for more industry sectors, and on the advice of South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer, every business needs to consider their position on vaccinations for their own' business family', including their team, clients, suppliers and visitors.

Here at Business SA, we take this responsibility seriously. This is why we have announced that all of our' business family' needs to be double dosed when working from or visiting our office premises on Greenhill Road. This includes our employees, clients, mentors, facilitators, board members and guests. Whilst we respect the individual's rights to choose, those unvaccinated will be working from home and going about their daily business primarily online.?However, attendees with a SA Health approval medical exemption will be able to attend any of our offerings by producing a negative COVID-19 test valid for 72 hours.

This decision is an important one because it allows us to continue to support South Australian businesses. It gives us certainty to keep our doors open to provide advice, hold events, and deliver programs.

Our Business Advice Hotline has been running hot with questions from employers and business owners about the Work Health and Safety Act. What do I need to do to protect my staff? What is my duty of care as an employer? While not easy to navigate, employers have a responsibility to protect their employees while they are undertaking their duties.

So today, we welcome the reopening of South Australia's borders because it will be better for our businesses. But we are also ready and waiting to help business owners navigate the next stage in living with COVID-19.

Originally published in The Advertiser, South Australian Business Journal on Tuesday 23 November 2021