OUR RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
Update Friday 17th December, 2021
From 5am Friday 17th December, 2021 the Public Health and Social Measures Linked to Vaccination Status Direction (‘Direction’) will take effect. See the Direction HERE
Unvaccinated people will be unable to attend hospitality venues such as hotels, pubs, clubs, taverns, bars, restaurants or cafes. This includes patrons, employees and contractors. The Direction is made under the Public Health Act 2005 (Qld) and is Queensland law which must be followed. This includes Empire and all of our bars, restaurant and function facilities.
Who must be vaccinated?
- All people entering and remaining in the venue and any of it’s onsite facilities aged 16 years and over will need to be fully vaccinated. This includes patrons, employees and contractors who must all check-in using the Check In Qld App and show proof of their vaccination status or exemption.
- A person is considered fully vaccinated when they have had two doses of a TGA approved vaccine.
- A person with a medical exemption to being vaccinated (a medical contraindication) can also enter and is considered the same as a vaccinated person.
What does proof of vaccination or evidence of a medical contraindication include?
Both proof of vaccination or evidence of a medical contraindication can be either printed or electronic. These include:
- a written confirmation of COVID-19 vaccination given to the person, such as a record of vaccine card
- vaccination information displayed on the Check in Qld app
- a COVID-19 digital certificate or printed vaccination certificate from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) – Information about the AIR can be found HERE
- an online or printed immunisation history statement for COVID-19, including confirmation of a medical contraindication
- an International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate.
Note: a standard medical certificate is not acceptable proof of a medical contraindication. A legally qualified medical practitioner is required to complete the medical exemption form and record this on the Australian Immunisation Register.
See the following examples of what acceptable evidence of vaccination or medical exemption may look like HERE
In addition there are also the handwritten COVID-19 Record of Vaccination cards – see examples HERE
We thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to welcoming you.
Update Monday 23rd March, 2020
In response to the Government’s latest announcement on Sunday 22nd March, unfortunately the time has come for us to join the rest of the industry in temporarily closing our doors.
Our thoughts are with our staff and the wider hospitality industry who are doing it really tough at the moment. It breaks our hearts! The professionalism and positivity shown by our team over this past week in a time of great uncertainty, has been profound.
Thank you to our loyal Empire customers who continue to support us. For this we are truly grateful!
In the meantime, we will continue to post updates as they come to hand on the COVID-19 page on our website.
We look forward to seeing you again once we all get past this. Please stay safe and continue to look after each other.
The Empire Team
Update Wednesday 18th March, 2020
Today it was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that non-essential indoor gatherings will be limited to 100 people. We want to let you know that we are open for business and to reassure you that we are taking this latest development very seriously and we are doing everything we can to manage this risk.
We are continuously assessing the situation and will continue to update our guests and staff as things evolve.
We look forward to seeing you at Empire Hotel.
Update Monday 16th March, 2020
The spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has created much uncertainty, which has been concerning for all of us.
We want to let you know that we are open for business and reassure you that Empire Hotel is taking this situation very seriously and we are doing everything we can to manage this risk.
The health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and staff have always been our number one priority. We are carefully monitoring the directions and advice of Queensland Health, the Australian Government Department of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), and other relevant authorities.
In addition to the rigorous safety and sanitation measures already in place at Empire Hotel, we have implemented comprehensive Coronavirus related protocols, which both disinfect and further limit opportunities for cross-contamination.
We are continuously assessing the situation and will continue to update our guests and staff as things evolve. We feel assured in our preparedness and are committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for our guests and staff.
We look forward to welcoming you at Empire Hotel.