Hospitality venues across Echuca have once again been forced to either switch to takeaway or shut completely in response to the seven-day snap lockdown.
But businesses are facing the challenge with a sense that if they've done it before, they can do it again.
The Royal owner Barry Saunders said there was a sense of optimism around the business after Thursday's announcement.
“We had really good numbers coming through today,” he said.
“And our customers were all feeling the same way as us, a bit disappointed, but also optimistic this will only be for the seven days.
“We've been through this experience before a few times, and we've learnt how best to handle things like being takeaway-only and keeping things moving while we can.
“Naturally we would prefer not to be in this situation, but we know how to respond.”
Echuca Workers general manager Erin Langman said businesses were ready to respond.
“We are shutting up the kitchen and the bistro, preparing what food we can and freezing it if it can be stored to limit stock loss,” she said.
“There is definitely an element of feeling more prepared this time, and we are ready to face a lot of the challenges for the next seven days.”
But the biggest concern held by many businesses is for their staff.
With the JobKeeper subsidy no longer available, businesses are facing the reality of not being able to pay staff.
“That's definitely our biggest frustration,” Ms Langman said.
“We have a lot of casual staff booked in for shifts and we simply haven't got the revenue to pay them.
“We are doing all we can, and we will honour their pay for a few shifts, but we can't continue that if the lockdown were to extend.
“We care a great deal about our people, so it really hurts us that we have to be in this position.”
Mr Saunders agreed.
“By keeping takeaway open, we will be able to honour a lot of our shifts,” he said.
“But it's definitely frustrating that some will miss out. No-one wants to be in this position and we hate that these issues are arising.
“It's definitely the toughest thing about these lockdowns.”
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