SUNRAYSIA businesses have copped “another kick in the guts” with the latest statewide lockdown as some expect a hit to the hip pocket of “at least $50,000” over the next week.
Sunraysia Daily spoke with several business owners on Thursday as they scrambled to reschedule appointments and prepare to stand down most staff over the seven-day lockdown.
From midnight, the five reasons to leave home will be to buy food and supplies, authorised work, care and caregiving, exercise for up to two hours within 5km of home, and to get vaccinated.
Face masks will also need to be worn inside and outdoors.
Local business owners said they understood the health reasons behind the government’s lockdown call on Thursday, but they grimaced at the likelihood of another blow to the bottom line.
“It’s just another kick in the guts, especially for the hospitality and retail industries,” The Sandbar owner Malcolm Kalms said.
“This is our fourth lockdown in just over a year and it’s going to cost me at least $50,000 in turnover.
“But we also need to spare a thought for the staff who don’t have any leave left and won’t get an income over the next week.”
Mr Kalms said his business turnover had picked up “significantly” since the previous five-day lockdown in February.
“We’ve been building our customer base back up since that lockdown and business has been a lot better than pre-COVID,” he said.
“But we needed it to pick up that much after we lost so much trading time and money last year.”
John McCrae, who owns upmarket restaurant Thai-Riffic and Seoul Chicken & Beer Mildura, said he also expected to lose about $50,000 in turnover over the next week.
“We just go back into takeaway mode now,” he said.
“We’ll lose thousands and thousands of dollars – probably about $50,000 – and we’ve just been training new staff because hospitality has been in crisis with a shortage of skilled workers.
“But now we’ll have to tell them they’ve got no income because we can’t have diners in the restaurant.
“I understand the health reasons for the lockdown, but it’s not good for business.
“It’ll take about a year for us to make up for this sort of loss of turnover – and it will have to be through profit.”
Clothing retailer Grant Haynes, who owns the Doug Haynes and George & Olive shops in Langtree Mall, is another trader expected to bleed about $50,000 during the lockdown.
“For the two shops, the loss of trade over the week will probably cost me that much – and possibly more,” Mr Haynes said.
“It’s scary because you can’t plan anything with certainty, and my worry is that this lockdown will be extended beyond seven days.
“All my staff have already used their holiday leave and long-service leave so they’ll also be impacted.
“These lockdowns just leave businesses and their staff stranded.”
However, Member for Mildura Ali Cupper said this was “a time to listen to the health advice”.
“I think this statewide lockdown is justified,” Ms Cupper said.
“The Indian strain of the virus has much quicker transmission rates and there’s an active case in Cohuna, which is only a few hours from Mildura.”
But Deputy Opposition Leader Peter Walsh said the lockdown could have been avoided if the government “could get the basics right”.
“Students banned from classrooms, our cafes, pubs and restaurants forced to shut their doors and our country communities at a standstill,” he said.
“Our regional small businesses were just starting to get back on their feet and this seven-day lockdown means many more will close and more locals will lose their jobs.”
