"The decision by NSW to set a 90-day time limit on social distancing rules is welcome and should be adopted across the country and with restrictions of all kinds," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said today.
"In many cases, businesses that have been closed need significant advance warning to be able to plan to reboot their operations. They may need to rehire staff or service or restart equipment prior to reopening and that can't happen overnight.
"We understand that there needs to be flexibility depending on developments on the spread of the virus but businesses need target dates to plan for the future.
"Hopefully, the current social distancing restrictions will be sufficient, however, the announcement of any potential further limits to business activity should be accompanied by indicative timeframes.
"At the very least, all measures should require dates for review. This includes both forced business closures and businesses closed due to the current trading circumstances as well as major restrictions on movement of people such as across state and territory borders.
"The economy is already under extraordinary pressure and adding uncertain time frames to the mix can only deepen the hardships facing the community and the economy," Mr Willox said.
