Wagga pub owners are furious over the government's three-step COVID-19 plan, which puts bars and hotels last on the list of businesses allowed to open their doors.
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Cafes and restaurants will be among the first businesses to reopen, however, pubs will not be allowed to turn on the taps until stage three.
The news came as a blow to Duke of Kent Hotel publican Ward Gaiter, who said the delays would spell out a death sentence for many of the smaller regional pubs.
"What it means is more and more pubs are going to fail," Mr Gaiter said.
"I can speak from experience: publicans aren't millionaires. I've still got bills coming in and out each day even while we're not open."
Mr Gaiter was forced to lay off 20 staff when his pub was shut down on March 23, and he says countless other delivery drivers, suppliers, musicians, and other workers have also had their livelihoods cut.
Mr Gaiter said hotels have been left in the dark by the government, which has not indicated when pubs can reopen and what restrictions they will face when they do.
"There doesn't appear to be any thought as to how this is going to work," Mr Gaiter said.
"It's very, very frustrating from a business owner's point of view."
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His frustration is shared by Australian Hotels Association Wagga president David Barnhill, who said all the publicans in Wagga were feeling the pinch.
Mr Barnhill said the government's blanket approach did not make sense for regional pubs, where the rate of infections are far lower than their city counterparts.
"Businesses are doing it really tough in regional centres, even when there are almost no cases in these places," Mr Barnhill said.
"Some regional centres have had zero cases, and we're hoping the government will open up some of those regional centres."
Australian Hotels Association CEO Stephen Ferguson said the government's plan was "riddled with inconsistencies" and extremely light on detail.
"Why can baristas get work but not bar staff? Why can only 10 people be allowed in a dining area of a huge venue that could safely socially distance 120?" Mr Ferguson said.
"The roadmap to recovery measures ... has not provided a plan to help pub and hotel operators who are being pushed to the wall by mounting debt and bills for their closed venues."