The timing could not have been worse. The locally brewed beers were stocked, the festoon lights strung and more than 50 musicians booked for the seven-week food and music festival that was to be Manly’s awakening from the COVID-19 slumber of 2020.
Back in Manly the Little Italy-inspired Pocket Pizza was also trading at full capacity, “flat out in the middle of service,” when the phone started to ring. So when a sudden outbreak of COVID-19 emerged in the upper northern beaches, businesses were willing to act fast. Navigating the recovery out of the second lockdown will be top of the agenda at emergency Zoom meetings with business representatives in Manly and Pittwater this weekend, attended by NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Small Business and Finance Damien Tudehope.
"The goal is reopening. That's the holy grail," he said, adding that he was very worried about businesses closing their doors for good. With repairs keeping Limani shut the entire year, the family focused on their downstairs takeaway business, The Boatshed Cafe and Bar. “People will be scared to come out for weeks to come until this thing is controlled. We need support from the government.”
In the upper northern beaches, where the lockdown is set to remain until at least January 9, it's the uncertainty that businesses fear the most.
I hope it was worth it bringing Australians back with covid....what has the outbreak cost local businesses?
you media are to blame - you should be ashamed. Anyone that is a reporter is a laughing stock.
Thanks to the person/people who were supposed to isolate and didn’t. We HAD IT HANDLED. 🤬 The only time off I get all year is... this.