MYRTLEFORD business owners have been left puzzled and thousands of dollars out of pocket, after the Victorian Government’s decision last Friday to lockdown the entire state in the latest hotel quarantine debacle.
The call to instigate the snap lockdown wasn’t made until Friday afternoon, and for several hospitality and accommodation business owners, the promise of a prosperous Valentines Day weekend was left in tatters.
Tim Chapman, owner of the Myrtleford Hotel, said the lockdown had already cost him a significant sum of money, and the decision to shut businesses in regional Victoria did seem like an ill-considered judgement.
“It seems like a knee-jerk reaction to lockdown the entire state in the name of safety,” he said.
“I don’t understand what shutting down businesses in Myrtleford has got to do with a quarantine outbreak in Melbourne.
“I’ve had to pour $500 worth of beer down the sink, because I’ve had to power down the entire hotel.
“And now I’m left with another difficult situation – because I’ve powered down the pub I’m not wasting money on running costs, and if he (Premier Andrews) extends the lockdown for another week then I’ve made the right call.
“But if we do come out of this on Wednesday, I’ll need 48-hours to get up and running again, which means that I’ll once again not be able to open.”
Kathleen Stone, owner of Reclaim Wine Bar and Café, has had a similarly frustrating last few days.
“These lockdowns have been hard on us, and hard on everybody really,” she said.
“And we’ve definitely been impacted over the weekend.
“We were going to open for Valentines Day on Sunday night, and Sundays we’re normally closed, but we were going to do it, and we were fully booked for our dinner reservations.
“And because of the lockdowns we’ve had to throw away a lot of fresh produce, which is very disappointing.”
Jim Van Geet, Myrtleford Chamber of Commerce president, said Myrtleford business owners had definitely been impacted by the lockdown.
“Of course businesses have been affected, especially over the Valentines Day weekend, when lots of businesses would’ve pre-purchased stock in anticipation for a big weekend,” he said.
“But I think we also realise that it’s essential to keep regional Victoria safe.
“The decision is not liked, but it is understood.”
Businesses, like most other Alpine Shire residents, are hopeful however, that the lockdown will not be extended beyond today's scheduled end 11.59pm.
