Having a beer at the pub is finally on the cards as Border hotels re-open their venues on Monday after more than two months of lockdown.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Publicans are calling for support, but are warning patrons that being at the pub will "look very different than what they are used to".
While there are different restrictions on hotel's opening each side of the Border, the message is the same: "Come on in and support your local."
Hotels in NSW can operate with 50 patrons per area, but must adhere to the four square metre per person rule.
In Victoria, pubs can have up to 20 patrons per enclosed area.
For Soden's Hotel licencee Brendan Tracey, being one of the biggest pubs in town is working in its favour.
"We have a few areas where we can seat people so I think based on our space we can have around 200 patrons at one time," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"We are lucky probably being the biggest pub in town we can fit more people in.
"It is probably the only time it has worked in our favour.
Being able to get back to some sort of normality will hopefully stop the bleed financially
- Soden's Hotel publican Brendan Tracey
"The hardest thing has been keeping the staff mentally busy, but being able to get back to some sort of normality will hopefully stop the bleed financially.
"Although it isn't going to fix it straight away because we can't have functions, it is so important to be opening up again."
The message from hoteliers is to "book ahead".
"We have three separate areas where we can seat patrons but the last thing we want to do is turn people away so we would suggest people ring ahead to let us know you are coming," Brady's Railway Hotel's Brendan Cooper said.
"Our staff will be monitoring to ensure people aren't gathering in large groups and standing around."
The pubs will require the name and number of each patron as they enter the premises as a COVID-19 tracing method if required.
Pub-goers will also have to be seated while in the hotels and adhere to social distancing.
Soden's and Brady's, along with the teams at The Newmarket Hotel and Spingdale Heights Tavern, have banded together to ask the Border to support their local.
"It has been hard but if people can support us and do the right thing it will go a long way in helping us get back to some sort of normal," Mr Cooper said.
