Stunning still life photographs of what would ordinarily be the city's busiest night, just hours after key stakeholders sat down with the Premier and were told they needed to keep trading.
April 2, 2020
Culture
The night our city stopped: Pictures from the frontline
SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 ADELAIDE
The ripple of panic that set out across Adelaide’s hospitality industry two weeks ago, when the Federal Government announced the one-person-per-four-square-meters rule, was felt throughout our city.
The effect this decision had was immediate and unique to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s busiest operators opened their doors on Saturday, 21 March to find absolutely no one on the streets of Adelaide.
This form of disruption – the fact that nothing’s happening – is such a peculiar and emotional symptom of this global health crisis that we felt it pertinent to share with our readers what our city’s living through right now.
Ashley Wilson – co-owner of Sunny’s Pizza and 1000 Island – captured the following images as he did a quick loop of the neighbourhood and stopped in to check how fellow traders were doing.
COVID-19 is infecting people around the world, but the casualty count goes well beyond the hospitals.
Remarks
The Federal Government has since ordered all venues with a liquor licence to close to patronage and operate as purely takeaway businesses.
Ashley Wilson: The following photos were made between 8.10pm & 9.30pm on Saturday, 21 March and feature some of Adelaide’s best & busiest venues and locations.
These are the venues that – ordinarily at this time of night – would be AT CAPACITY every given week. Just ONE day after the 4sqm rule came into effect – and mere hours after our meeting with the premier at Leigh Street Wine Room, where we told him the 4sqm rule would cripple us – the streets are empty and trade decimated.
Below is data of patronage versus staff compared to the capacity of each venue. I took these photos and did this head count to give people an idea of the ludicrousness of our situation if the government was serious that we should ‘keep trading’.
1)
Sunny’s Pizza
6 patrons vs 7 staff
120 capacity
2)
1000 Island
0 patrons vs 2 staff
80 capacity
3)
Cry Baby
7 patrons vs 2 staff
120 capacity
(usually full + 100-plus line up)
4)
Lady Burra
0 patrons vs 2 staff
capacity unknown
5)
Melt CBD
1 patron vs 5 staff
150 capacity
6 & 7)
Proof
6 patrons vs 2 staff
100 capacity
8)
Leigh Street looking north
9)
Pink Moon Saloon
12 patrons vs 3 staff
70 capacity
10 & 11)
Shobosho
25 patrons vs 9 staff
100 capacity
12)
Udaberri
6 patrons vs 3 staff
120 capacity
13)
Leigh Street Wine Room
12 patrons vs 6 staff
100 capacity
14)
Casablabla
0 Pax – CLOSED
15)
Bread & Bone
0 Pax – CLOSED
16)
Maybe Mae
2 patrons vs 2 staff
76 Capacity
16 & 17)
Peel Street
North vs south
18)
Alfred’s
4 patrons vs 2 staff
90 capacity
19)
Malt & Juniper
3 patrons vs 2 staff
72 capacity
20)
Clever Little Tailor
2 patrons vs 2 staff
70 capacity
21)
Paloma
3 patrons vs 2 staff
105 capacity
22)
Gondola Gondola
12 patrons vs 8 staff
100 capacity
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