Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Mindil Beach Resort Manager Avril Baynes about the weekend's Covid exposure closure

Transcript

Katie spoke with Mindil Beach Resort Manager Avril Baynes about the weekend's Covid exposure closure · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the general manager
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: at Mindle Beach Casino Resort, Avril Baines. Good morning, Good.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Morning, Katy, and good morning to your listeners.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Now, Averil, thanks so much for your time this morning.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: What was your reaction over the weekend when you learned
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: that the casino was identified as a public exposure and
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: casual contact site.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Obesely, Katy, we hoped that we would never be in
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: this position, but there's always a risk that this could
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: have occurred. So fortunately that initial shocker didn't last very long.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: We've got procedures in place in case an event like this,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: and we've had those ever since we reopened back in June,
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: So it's just a case of putting those processes into place.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: What steps were taken to close the property.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: So as soon as we received notification that we were
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: an exposure five, the team followed those procedures. So the
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: immediate steps that we needed to put into place was
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: closing down the proper and community, communicating with our staff,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: the guests and the patrons, advising them of the Chief
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Health officers directions.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and what I mean, what did the staff and
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: all of you kind of have to do in terms
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: of looking after the guests and making sure I suppose
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: that you know that you'd followed all of those rules
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: that they've sort of put in place and their directions.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Sure, So we did direct communications both on our Facebook
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  Speaker 2: page and face to face and via email and text
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  Speaker 2: message to our staff and our team members, just providing
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: them with the directions for the chief Health officer and
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: the contact numbers, the ability that they could book online
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: for their tests if they needed to self quarantine and
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: get tested from there. Obviously, we have a record of
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: all of our staff who were on site at that period,
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  Speaker 2: and it being a Friday night, it was one of
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: our busiest times, so we did have a large number
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: of staff that were initially impacted by their direction.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that must make it hard for you, I suppose then, Well,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: I guess you know at the moment obviously closed, but
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: it would make things difficult then when it comes to
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: rostering and waiting for those test results back and all
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Look, it certainly does give us something additional to think about,
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  Speaker 2: but our key priority was obviously the health, wellbeing and
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: peace of mind of the staff and guests. So we
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  Speaker 2: took the opportunity during yesterday's closure to complete an additional
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  Speaker 2: deep claim on top of our already extensive safety measures
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  Speaker 2: that we have in place as part of our play
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  Speaker 2: It Safe initiative, And that just gave everybody some breathing
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: space to workout if they were impacted by the exposure site.
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  Speaker 2: And of course, Katie, wasn't just our exposures. There were
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: twenty eight other ones and although our team members might
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: not have been working, they might have been out of
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: monsoons enjoying the entertainment there. So we had to go
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: through and double check with the all of the team
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: members as well if they had visited any of the
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: other additional exposure sites. Yeah. So that's all taken place
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: while we've been in that closure period and it's tough going.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: You know, I've no doubt that the closure obviously has
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: an impact on the income of the business, but also
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: the employees. I mean, are you and like you said,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: there's obviously plenty of other locations who've been impacted as well.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: But are you annoyed that one person can sort of
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: break the rules across the border and leave the top
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  Speaker 1: end in this situation?
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: Oh? I can certainly understand the community frustration around that. Yes,
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: I think it's something that we don't know what was
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: going on in someone's mind at the time, so I
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  Speaker 2: haven't spent much time reflecting on one person. I have
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: our staff and our patrons and they need my attention
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: and focus more than one visitor from cans.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Hey, how long are you expecting to be closed or
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: when are you hoping to be able to open back up?
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: Well, very hopeful that we'll be reopening again this afternoon,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: so we will be confirming that later during the day.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: We just want to make sure before we reopen that
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  Speaker 2: it is a minimal risk to any of our staff
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: and patrons, and we're very confident that will be the case. Obviously,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: we do still have some staff who are waiting on
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: their test results, so I'm looking forward to confirming probably
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: in the middle of the day what our reopening time
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: will be.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Well let us know. Avril Baines, the general manager of
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  Speaker 1: the Mindle Beach Casino and Resort, really appreciate your time
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: this morning. Thanks for having a chat with us.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Fantastic Thank you, Katie, And if I could just quickly
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: thank all of our team who acted so swiftly and
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: professionally to comply with the show's directions, and a thank
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: you to our guests and patrons who showed great understanding
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  Speaker 2: when we had to shut early on Saturday night and
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  Speaker 2: remain closed for yesterday, so they're tolerance and understandings appreciated.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Oh good on you, Averril. Thank you so much and
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  Speaker 1: we'll talk to you again.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: So fantastic. Thanks Katie, thank you,