Many Ballarat small business owners and staff are at the point of utter desperation and despair as unexpected COVID restrictions again loom large.
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Anger within the small business sector towards the state government is at fever pitch as the ability to operate on a reduced capacity if staff are not fully vaccinated will cease to exist on Friday evening.
Commerce Ballarat CEO Jodie Gillett, herself at a point of extreme exasperation, desires increased capacity for businesses, but she also wants greater empathy from those imposing the regulations.
"No one's arguing about (the benefits of increased capacity), but what about the ones that can't open on Saturday because they've removed that option (of opening with a decreased capacity)?" Ms Gillett asked.
"They brought the date back four weeks and then they gave them one week to fix the situation. They should be giving them the four weeks."
Ms Gillett remains gobsmacked by the approach of the government when it comes to smaller enterprises, particularly when the tumult over the last two years is considered.
"It just breaks your heart," Ms Gillett said.
"It makes me so angry that someone sitting in an office in Melbourne, at the stroke of a pen, is causing this much grief for people who have already been through so much.
"If you compare the (rules) we were working on for last weekend and the (rules) for next weekend, the choice of having the reduced capacity for the unvaccinated is no longer in the roadmap.
"If you look at the roadmap, as of Friday midnight, that option's no longer there."
It just breaks your heart.
- Jodie Gillett
Many local operations face strife with this week's revised approach, according to Ms Gillett.
"The Pancake Kitchen emailed me yesterday. It won't have all its staff double-vaxxed until November 21," she said.
"The Ballarat Yacht Club has had some staff double-vaxxed. Those guys are working 16-hour days to be able to stay open.
"Out of the 20 responses to a survey we got from hospitality, eight of them said they wouldn't be able to go to increased capacity until around November 4 or 5."
Ms Gillett continues to be dismayed by the poor communication, lacking clarity and accessibility, from authorities.
"(Many businesses) aren't realising the (reduced capacity option) has been removed. There are heaps of them that haven't been able to do full vaccinations," Ms Gillett said.
"(Businesses) are going to be closed when Melbourne comes back. Welcome to the regions, Melbourne!"
The psychological ramifications of the repeated changing of the pandemic goal posts have been felt by Annmarie Sloane of the Gatehouse Cafe located at the new cemetery.
Many people known by Ms Sloane are at their lowest ebb.
"It's mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing," she said.
"I have had staff members, family members, and even patrons come in and not just talk about their mental health, but I have never heard the word 'suicide' be thrown around so much as I have this past week. I'm not talking about this lightly.
"The (suicide) hotlines are written up on the walls to give to people, not just the staff, but to patrons.
"I held space for a person today, who I know is a very resilient human being. Even they were like, 'I can't do this anymore'. I've never seen this person so fragile. It's really sad to see."
IN OTHER NEWS
Ms Sloane herself is struggling.
"These COVID shutdown processes we have been going through has sent my mental health to another level," she said.
"I haven't received a lot of funding from the government either. Being a sole trader on Crown land means I am not eligible for a lot of grants."
The nature of last week did not help Ms Sloane's mindset.
"We have been following protocols and the mandates to the letter and to have 48 hours to make sure staff were double-vaxxed was not only ridiculous, but untenable," she said.
"It could not happen; it was not possible.
"We have staff members booked in for AstraZeneca who cannot have a shorter waiting time for their jabs and we have other people who already have their dates for the middle of November ready to go."
The cafe owner is praying the government allows for some flexibility given the expectations outlined in the original roadmap of employees having to have their second vaccinations by November 26.
"We've got a big event, the Dia de los Muertos celebrations (Day of the Dead) that's planned for this weekend that might not go ahead now," Ms Sloane said.
"I am going ahead hoping we can still do this event, but I am not optimistic."
I am going ahead hoping we can still do this event, but I am not optimistic.
- Annmarie Sloane
Another business in a state of crisis in Formation Hairstylists, located in Peel Street.
Owner Bec Reeves, 34, has given her all to the business for four-and-a-half years, employing six staff and catering to an established clientele.
When made aware of the changes for this weekend, meaning operating at a reduced capacity can no longer occur, Ms Reeves was distraught.
"It puts such a heavy weight on my heart," Ms Reeves said.
"Again, I'm going to have to go through the process of telling my staff that they can't come to work. It's absolutely devastating, not just for myself, but for them.
"Now, they can't come to work and provide for their families and earn an income because the goal posts have been moved yet again."
The last week has been enormously difficult for the young businesswoman.
When the government made its initial announcement last week, bringing the second vaccination date forward, Ms Reeves was hit hard.
"It sent shockwaves through our world," she said.
"My staff had just started getting their vaccinations so it sent our world into a tailspin."
When the government backtracked, allowing businesses with staff not fully-vaccinated to stay open with a reduced capacity, Ms Reeves was overjoyed.
"We were so relieved, excited, and happy because we have been running at a lower capacity anyway," she said.
"Once we heard that we could still continue to operate the way we had been, we were pumped that we could still provide our services to our clients.
"Finding out we could still operate at a lower capacity was like Christmas for us."
Progressing to this week, another blow has been felt.
"There is no possible way they can have their second vaccinations by this Friday," Ms Reeves said.
"We were all thinking it was going to be the end of November.
"It's a massive kick in the guts to us."
Sam Fraser of Drive Cafe in Golden Point is similarly fed up with the government's lack of thought.
This week's revelation about the inability for businesses to operate at a reduced capacity beggars belief as far as Ms Fraser is concerned.
"There is no consideration at all for owners of businesses, but also for the staff who are trying to keep their jobs, who are trying to pay their rent," Ms Fraser said.
"How do they go, flip-flopping around like this?
"We have been so compliant; we have followed the government to the letter, but at the moment, we are so over it."
Speaking about the developments of last week, Ms Fraser still struggles to hide her resentment.
"We just couldn't believe it," Ms Fraser said.
"I'd seen someone else refer to it as being flabbergasted; there is no other word for it.
"How do you advise businesses, with two days' notice, that unless all your staff are fully vaccinated, you need to close?
"I think that is appalling."
The impact on the staff of Drive some days ago was immense.
"Some of our staff were really upset," Ms Fraser said.
"Some had a timeframe and they had to wait before they could get their second dose. It was really challenging over that time.
"We were telling them that they couldn't work, that we wouldn't have enough staff.
"Then (the government) does the backflip and goes back to the original roadmap.
"It was unnecessary stress on businesses when we don't need it after what's been happening over the last 18 months, two years."
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