The Market shop and cafe in Jindabyne forced to close for Covid breaches

The Market Jindabyne has been directed to shut from Friday after its owners allegedly refused to enforce a mask mandate, introduce QR code check-ins or comply with limited patronage regulations.

The cafe owners, a 32-year-old woman and 33-year-old man, were arrested and charged last month for failing to wear a mask while working at the premises.

Police say while the pair were released on bail, officers revisited the cafe and found no face coverings being worn by members of the public, no QR code and no sign-in sheet.

Messaging on the Market Jindabyne Facebook page this week proclaimed the couple's innocence.

"We are not guilty of the allegations and have elected to voluntarily shut the doors of our cafe and retail business until these matters resolve," the message says.

"Our top priority as always is the well-being of our valued customers and staff. We look forward to being with you all again in our place soon.

"We will take this time reconnect with each other and enjoy some time as a family in our awesome town and appreciate why we are here."

Comments on the post were mixed, with Jindabyne residents seemingly divided on whether or not the owners had done the wrong thing by failing to comply, or done the right thing by making a stand against heavy-handed health measures.

The owners have been issued a $2000 fine for breaching public health orders and are due to appear before Cooma court next month for breaching bail conditions.

The Market Jindabyne's closure comes in the same week the federal government has called on businesses to lend their support to the vaccine rollout.

SafeWork NSW director Dimitri Argeres said the venue had consistently failed to maintain Covid safety standards and had not complied with its own Covid safety plan designed to help reduce community transmission.

"A digital check-in process allows for effective contact-tracing and is vital in the event a positive case visits the location," Mr Argeres said.

"After finding more breaches on the fourth visit, it was clear that the ongoing operation of the premises presented a clear and significant risk to public health and needed to be sent a strong message."

Mr Argeres said it was disappointing the seriousness of the issue wasn't getting through to some businesses. His warning comes after staff and patrons at a Bowral cafe were arrested on similar charges last week.

"Businesses need to be doing the right thing to keep their customers and the community safe," Mr Argeres said.

His warning was issued following the report from NSW that another 44 cases of coronavirus had been recorded in the state in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.

"We can't have some businesses complying and others doing the opposite, putting everyone at risk. Any business that repeatedly fails to comply with the public health orders faces temporary closure," Mr Argeres said,

The Market shop and cafe will be closed for seven days from July 9.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: