Uncertainty over when level restrictions will end in Western Australia is hurting small business and hospitality venues.

6PR Breakfast host Gareth Parker has urged the government to announce when the state would move out of level restrictions as more venues continue to suffer in the unknown climate.

CBD cafe La Veen, on King Street, is the latest to close as WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said the state would not move out of level two restrictions for some weeks.

“What I find incredible is when it comes to imposing COVID restrictions, it’s done with a click of the fingers,” Parker said.

“But when it comes to easing them, we again seem to be rely on modelling, which is being shown to be less than accurate time and time again, instead of the real-world evidence, which shows that as of today, virtually no one is dying in our highly vaccinated, highly boosted society.”

WA Health modelling predicted the peak of this wave would be between March 14 and 18.

“That makes it four days in a row that COVID cases have fallen. Now Dr Andy Robertson, the Chief Health Officer, is saying the peak is ‘weeks away’.

“I just wonder how we went from a very specific four-day window, when the peak was going to happen, to now all of a sudden the peak being shifted forward to ‘weeks away’.

“When level 2 restrictions were imposed nearly three weeks ago, we were told it would be for four weeks or until about the end of March.

“We’re nearly three weeks into that… and we still don’t know exactly when phase two restrictions will end and we have to go back to phase one, let alone getting rid of phase one density limits altogether.

“This isn’t an academic exercise, this affects real people and businesses, and today we learn another high-quality, hospitality venue in the city is closing, it’s La Veen cafe on the bottom of King Street.

“They once employed more than 30 staff, they’re now down to eight.

“What about the rest of the businesses who are still open and are still trying to trade, who have put off their casual staff during this period of phase two restrictions? Are they supposed to be gearing back up to put those staff back on and scrap the 150-person cap.

“I think it would be helpful if they know, I think it would be helpful if had some announcements, ASAP.”

Tap PLAY below to hear Gareth’s full views on the lack of clarity.