Accommodation providers in the Central West of New South Wales are warning Sydneysiders to stay away, with both regions still under a strict lockdown order.
Key points:
- Hotels in Orange say they have fielded enquiries from Sydneysiders hoping to escape COVID-19 lockdown
- It comes as 60,000 regional residents remain under the same lockdown restrictions as Sydney
- Some managers say accommodation staff such as cleaners and receptionists should be considered for priority vaccination
In recent weeks, several motels in Orange — one of three regional local government areas under a stay-at-home order — have received calls from frustrated Sydney residents looking for a getaway.
The manager of the Best Western Hotel in Orange, Renee Cullis, said one woman called her on Thursday, seeking a room to stay with her children so they could see the snow forecast for today.
"In the end, I just said, 'I'm sorry but I can't take your booking' and put the phone down and hung up."
Orange City Council residents — along with those in Cabonne and Blayney Shires — were placed under the snap, seven-day lockdown order from midnight Wednesday after a person later diagnosed with a positive case of COVID-19 visited five locations last weekend.
Restricted residents seeking getaways
Motel manager Vijay Bohra said, while he had not had any enquiries in the past few days, prior to then there had been "enormous" interest from prospective city visitors.
"The Central West is not a holiday destination at the moment," Mr Bohra said.
He said he was hosting a small number of essential workers at his business, but no tourists.
Both Mr Bohra and Ms Cullis said they were cautious about any enquiries for rooms, and kept a close eye on the details of anyone booking in.
"We check ID, we check everything, and I think all the motels here are sticking together and doing the same thing," Ms Cullis said.
Exposed staff need vaccine priority
Several hotel and Airbnb providers in the region suggested allowing staff such as cleaners and receptionists priority access to vaccinations, considering they often come into contact with essential workers from Greater Sydney.
"We do have a lot of face-to-face contact with people," Ms Cullis said.
"We've got to protect our staff and our families too," she said.
Tim Mortimer runs a business administering bed and breakfast properties around Orange. His properties have lost up to 90 per cent of business due to Greater Sydney restrictions and the current local lockdown.
While healthcare, aged care staff and residents are essential to protect in the first instance, he said, his staff risk picking up the highly infectious Delta variant, despite all the safety protocols in place to prevent that.
Instead, they will have to get vaccinated alongside the rest of the population who are not considered 'high risk'.
"It's very tough … [across many businesses] we're all feeling the pinch," Mr Mortimer said.
He said accommodation providers felt a responsibility to keep a close eye on who came to stay.
No end in sight
The stay-at-home order for the 60,000 residents in the Central West is due to end on midnight Tuesday, July 27.
However, there is no end in sight for the lockdown order for residents of Greater Sydney, where most of the region's tourists reside.
Mr Mortimer said most bookings up until Christmas have been cancelled as people lose confidence that they will be travelling to the region any time soon.