COVID-19 MANDATORY VACCINATION

On 20 October 2021, Premier McGowan announced that all persons working in WA’s hotels, accommodation, pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

All people working in the accommodation and hospitality industry are included as part of a phased introduction of mandatory vaccinations for a variety of occupations and workforces.

Employers will be required to collect and maintain vaccination records and will be required to not allow unvaccinated persons to work. The industrial consequences of these new requirements will be investigated and worked through by the AHA in order to provide detailed advice to members in the forthcoming weeks. 

More information about the announcement can be found here. 

Key dates

• By 31 December 2021 WA’s hospitality workers must have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine 
• By 31 January 2022 WA’s hospitality workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

The following are the three groups of occupations that are subjected to mandatory vaccinations at different points in time. Hospitality and accommodation falls into the second group.

1) Occupations in which risk is sufficient due to high transmission, vulnerability or necessary to avoid catastrophic risk to safety of the community. (A number of these industries have been announced previously and are currently in the process of implementation.)

• These workers are required to receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 1 December 2021 and be fully vaccinated by 31 December 2021.

2) Occupations deemed critical to the ongoing delivery of business and function of the community – WA's hotel and hospitality workers fall into this group. These are industries determined to have high transmission risk, or are a vulnerability risk or are necessary or critical to the safety of the community

• These workers are required to receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 31 December 2021 and be fully vaccinated by 31 January 2022

3) There is a third group who is required to be fully vaccinated to attend work in the event of a lockdown or similar restrictions – this is any hotel or hospitality worker providing takeaway liquor services.

Employers will be responsible for citing and storing evidence that employees have received their COVID-19 vaccine. Information on the best way for individuals to provide proof of their vaccination status can be found here: 

COVID-19 vaccination exemptions will be extremely limited. Each exemption will have to be personally approved by WA’s Chief Health Officer – a direct exemption from a GP or specialist will not satisfy the exemption requirements.

There are significant fines associated with non-compliance for both employers and individuals found in breach of the mandatory vaccination requirements.

State-run vaccination clinics are now accepting walk-ins but we still encourage you to urge staff to make a booking. While walk-ins are still accepted, to assist with the process and ensure shorter waiting times, bookings are still recommended. 

Bookings can be made here: 

AHA venue signage can be found here