Coronavirus leads to less customers, more hygiene measures for cafes in Wagga

Cafes will likely face a loss of revenue as fewer people head out for meals or stop for coffees on their way to work, which could affect the industry's large number of casual workers.

Richard Moffatt, the co-owner of Meccanico - one of Wagga's newest cafes - said his business had seen about half the amount of trade it usually would over the weekend.

"We rely on people being around ... we get a lot of corporate business travellers coming ... from Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra coming for work and a lot of those bigger businesses are saying, 'Look, guys, until this clears, stay at home.' So there are a lot of people not coming into Wagga," Mr Moffatt said.

"There's definitely been a downturn and as a new business it is quite worrying."

Mr Moffatt said while his cafe had brand new, hospital-grade dishwashing equipment, it was putting additional safety measures in place such as leaving the doors chocked open.

"It's obviously not possible to stop all forms of touching in our business but we're trying to make sure that everything is cleaned and sanitised," Mr Moffatt said.

His staff are preparing for a quiet period ahead as more Wagga residents practice social distancing and some potentially self-quarantine.

"We're bracing for the next four to eight weeks to be very quiet times. And the unfortunate thing is that casual staff hours are going to be reduced dramatically. And that's just a matter of cash not coming into the business," Mr Moffatt said.

"We're going to have to tighten our belts until consumer spending gets back to normal."

Anna, who works as a casual at a different Wagga cafe and did not wish to give her last name, said she and her colleagues were concerned about losing shifts amid coronavirus fears and new public safety precautions.

"Because we work in such a health and safety oriented business we would be the first to shut down when health becomes a major concern," she said.

"I'm still living at home so luckily it wouldn't be too bad [if I lost my shifts] but a lot of the girls here aren't ... a lot of them have kids and have to support their families."

Haley, who works at the same cafe and also did not want to give her last name, raised similar concerns.

"For most of us it's our only job so we'll take a big hit if we have to shut down," she said.

The coffee roastery Bills Beans, which supplies coffee beans to three Wagga cafes including one which has asked customers to stop bringing reusable cups for hygiene reasons, is promoting risk minimisation for cafe workers.

Michael Everett, the Group Operations Manager at Bills Beans, said customers should "be mindful that there is a person behind the counter."

Mr Everett emphasised the importance of using cashless payments and biodegradable takeaway cups, as well as staff and customers regularly handsanitising.

"People wouldn't intentionally expose their family [to a virus] so don't expose your barista," he said.

*Those suffering acute, cold, flu-like symptoms who have recently returned from travelling or are a contact of a confirmed case are urged to be tested for the virus. To do this, call HealthDirect on 1800 0222 222 to be triaged and advised by a nurse over the phone. Alternatively, contact your GP to book an appointment and let them know in advance if you have symptoms - these might include fever, cough, runny nose or shortness of breath.

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