Some small businesses across Australia have flocked to a Facebook group to voice their belief in “freedom of choice” when it comes to getting vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, the Facebook group had grown to over 160,000 members, including a diverse range of businesses from beauty and health to trades and hospitality.
For 17 years, Effie and Milton Karavas have operated ‘Fit4All’, a family-owned health and fitness centre in Penrith, NSW.
But during the pandemic, the Karavas family feels that their Western Sydney community has become “polarised”.
While the couple plans to get vaccinated, they feel uncomfortable excluding unvaccinated customers from their gym.
“Our business name [Fit4All] pretty much says it all,” Milton told The Feed.
“We are supposed to be here for everyone, all ages, all walks of life and I'm not sure why it should be any different now.”
Milton and Effie worry that closing their doors to customers who haven’t been jabbed could hurt their small business.
“We’re not a big franchise. We’re a family-owned gym and we have so many gyms around us,” Effie said.
“It's very competitive. So imagine us now saying you can't come in, we're gonna lose a lot of people and could potentially lose their business because of it.”
Losing business is also at the forefront of Darren Rogers’ mind, a sole trader in Melbourne who works in air conditioning and refrigeration.
Fit4All in Penrith, Western Sydney Source: Supplied
Darren has been out of work during the state’s lockdown as he’s currently prohibited from entering homes under COVID-19 restrictions.
Darren describes himself as pro-choice rather than an “anti-vaxxer” and said if vaccination is mandated he will get vaccinated.
“I’ve had everything done as a kid but with this vaccine, I don’t feel like you should be forced to get it,” Darren said.
“If I really have to [get vaccinated] to run my business and keep the family fed and clothed, it’s probably going to happen but just everything just feels way too forced at the moment,” he told The Feed.
Darren has been unable to work during Melbourne's lockdown. Source: Facebook/DB Cooling
The Australian government’s is that COVID-19 vaccinations are voluntary for most Australians.
Some states and territories have issued public health orders mandating vaccination for certain industries or workers.
that teachers, health care workers and age care workers be vaccinated by certain dates - unless medically exempt.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian flagged on Monday that vaccine-hesitant residents will not be able to “let everybody else do the hard work and then turn up” for equal freedoms.
It remains unclear as to whether the NSW Premier will lock out unvaccinated people from certain settings once the state reaches 80 per cent double doses but she has foreshadowed that she “might say it’s up to business to decide”.
Meanwhile, the Victorian government is considering mandating vaccinations for construction workers after building sites were linked to COVID-19 transmission.
Currently, in Victoria, aged care is the only sector where vaccination is mandatory.
Alexi Boyd is the chief executive of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA). She told The Feed that small businesses are in uncharted legal and ethical territory when it comes to vaccinations.
“This is a really complex issue and the problem why small business finds it very difficult to navigate,” Ms Boyd said.
“It’s actually a whole bunch of pieces of legislation that are very hard to unpack at the best of times.”
Ms Boyd said she COSBOA’s position is that small businesses should strongly encourage but not force their staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“There simply aren't enough security guards in this country, or policemen, to stand outside every single small business,” she said.
She said the Council is advocating for greater clarity from the government when it comes to mandatory vaccinations. At the moment, Ms Boyd said businesses should seek advice from their professional association.
Ms Boyd said small businesses are facing higher stakes than multinational companies. She said to make matters worse, some small businesses have been “absolutely targeted” by anti-vaxxers on social media.
“We have instances coming out of some of our associations, where they've been taken to the Human Rights Commission by customers who have been refused entry for not wearing a mask,” she said.
“A small business owner is sitting duck because right now they're desperate to keep their doors open and keep as many customers as possible, but they're also trying to keep themselves, their family and their workers safe.”
For Melbourne-based cafe owner Hanin Licina, the medical status of her customers is not her business.
Hanin said since buying their cafe Two Tui’s in February, she and her husband have struggled through the state’s lockdowns.
“It’s been very challenging,” Hanin told The Feed.
“From the very beginning, our main customer base was a lot of government workplaces and people were being told to work from home.”
Hanin believes it should be up to individuals to decide whether they’ll get a jab. She also wants “a little more information” on COVID-19 jabs before getting vaccinated herself.
One of Hanin’s main concerns is that customers may be forced to show proof of vaccination to get served in her cafe.
“I've already got a small shop as it is,” she said.
“Do they want me to stand at the door and check if someone's vaccinated while making a coffee? It's not practical.”
