By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The latest Covid snap lockdown has thrown restaurants into a new round of turmoil.
With just three hours’ notice, stay-at-home restrictions resumed across Victoria at 8pm on Thursday 5 August to try to curtail a spate of mystery Delta-variant cases.
Dandenong restaurant owner Minid Patel was left holding $3800 of worthless food that had been prepped for the coming weekend.
His business was just trying to recover from previous lockdown No.5, which had been lifted eight days earlier.
“This one is the worst, coming in at 8pm tonight,” the Honest Restaurant proprietor said.
“It’s really frustrating. I’m not sure what we’ll do with all of this food.”
He ended up giving it away to family and staff, who yet again were required to apply for Commonwealth Covid-19 disaster payments.
Honest Restaurant was eligible for one of the $2800 grants announced for 90,000 eligible businesses in Victoria the following day.
Licensed hospitality venues were eligible for payments between $5000 and $20,000.
Mr Patel said the grants were small help as his business lost about $100,000 a month during lockdown.
He and his business partners had invested $500,000 setting up the restaurant just weeks before Covid struck in early 2020.
It’s the hospitality and retail sectors that are bearing the brunt of continuous lockdowns, he says.
“We just have to keep digging in our own pockets.”
The business aid package followed $400 million the week before, and another $950 million paid by the State Government to businesses since June.
Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula said “decisive action is required to tackle this incredibly infectious strain of coronavirus, but we know it doesn’t come without a cost”.
“This support will help the worst-affected businesses pay their bills and plan for a strong recovery.”
Mr Patel, who threatened to defy Covid no-dining orders last years, says he’s lost faith in both the State and Federal governments.
“It’s really frustrating because there’s no end to it.
“Someone needs to announce when there will be no more lockdowns – but no one can answer this question.”
