“Harder than lockdown”: Businesses grapple with COVID consequences

FACED with the highest COVID-19 case numbers in the Geelong region’s history, businesses are being forced to furlough sick or isolating staff en masse, prompting many to limit opening hours or close altogether.

“People are here, it’s busy, but business is struggling to stay open,” Lorne Tourism Business Association vice-president Leon Walker said.

“It’s harder than lockdown, we don’t have the manpower and people actually have COVID now.

“It’s hitting everyone: delivery drivers, the bin guys have been late due to a lack of drivers, [Lorne] surf club kids got it – a factor in the Pier to Pub going virtual – it’s across the board.”

Mr Walker says businesses are performing “leapfrog openings”, open one day then closed the next.

His HAH cafe has closed multiple times due to staff falling sick or having to isolate, and he said it was a similar story with others such as the Live Wire Park, Lorne Hotel and several hospitality venues.

“Some cafes have been closed for over a week or so, that’s a big income in one of the biggest periods of the year. Combined with a lack of support for business, that’s a big issue. Employees can get the $750 if isolating, but there’s nothing for business.”

A scarcity of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) is adding to the chaos, according to Mr Walker.

“We lost three of our key staff. We’ve been having rapid tests each day – if we get it, we’re out. We had a few [RATs] up our sleeve but have run out now, so if people are feeling sick who knows what we can do. People can’t test.”

The ability to test for COVID has been further hampered by Australian Clinical Labs closing its Torquay, Belmont and Geelong test sites.

Meanwhile, Lara MP John Eren announced on social media last week “Unfortunately I’ve tested positive!”.

“There’s so much I could say about how Australia got to this point of ‘let it rip’ and the ‘we’ll all get it at some point’ attitude but I won’t. With underlying issues, heart disease and Parkinson’s, I’ll save my energy to fight COVID for now,” Mr Eren posted.

South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said the tourism and hospitality sector was facing the twin challenges of having no international students to employ as staff and a more transmissible variant of COVID-19.

“It is what it is – no-one wants to see businesses having to close because their staff have COVID-19, but that is the only choice because the only other choice would be to see those workers going to work and spreading COVID-19 even further into our community.

“I certainly would encourage the federal government to continue to look at their economic settings, and I think if the number of cases continue to grow, I think there’s a really good argument for JobKeeper to be reintroduced.”

Hospitalisations due to COVID have more than tripled in Victoria in the last two weeks, and Ambulance Victoria declared two code reds – an extremely high demand for ambulances and delays in ambulances arriving – in the past week.

It’s all coming at a cost, according to recent ANZ data capturing in-store and online purchases by Australian consumers up to January 5.

“Spending is now at its worst since Delta lockdowns,” the bank reported, adding that “caution about Omicron transmission and disruptions of businesses due to staff shortages are central to the decline”.