Lewis Land Group today announced it will provide its 650-strong workforce with vaccination leave and will offer up its sites as hubs in a strong commitment to the Covid vaccination effort.

The property group, which owns four pubs – The Fiddler and the Camden Valley Inn in NSW, and the Komo Hotel and The Belvedere Hotel in Queensland – is providing all 650 of its staff members with two days paid vaccination leave.

“At Lewis Land Group, we believe the only pathway out of the disruptive cycle of COVID-19 lockdowns is via vaccination,” Lewis Land Group CEO, Matthew McCarron said.

“In addition, the physical and mental health of our entire team is of utmost importance.

“That’s why we’re providing all 650 of our people with two days paid vaccination leave to encourage our whole team to get their jabs as soon as possible.  This includes both permanent and casual employees.”

He also said the group would also offer up a number of its sites as vaccination hubs to increase accessibility to its local communities.

“It’s incumbent on all businesses – big and small – to support the acceleration and advancement of this effort,” McCarron said.

He told Australian Hotelier that having gone through multiple lockdowns, the group had seen the impact this level of disruption has had not only on the business, but more importantly, on its people.

 “Looking at the experience of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s clear that increasing our vaccination rate is only viable pathway out of this situation.”

AHA NSW Director of Liquor and Policing John Green said: “This is a proactive initiative by Lewis Land Group – which in NSW includes iconic hotels The Fiddler and Camden Valley Inn.

“Hotel owners obviously care about the work, health and safety of their employers and this is a great initiative for their staff to get their jabs – once they are freely available. This is the key to hospitality being able to re-open faster.”

Green’s comments follow an announcement two weeks ago by AHA National CEO Stephen Ferguson that the hotel industry could soon be assisting the vaccination rollout in a range of areas after he attended a meeting chaired by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg alongside 30 other key business and industry group leaders.