Business owners in Wagga and the Riverina say the Victorian border closure, on top of the current lockdown in Sydney, could be devastating.
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Although Wagga businesses will be included in a cross-border community, the lack of access to the rest of Victoria, or to Sydney residents, is set to take a toll.
Meanwhile, Riverina business owners outside the bubble fear tourism will be cut off completely.
Rose Misevic, the proprietor of The Dog on the Tuckerbox cafe at Gundagai, estimates her business has lost between 70 and 90 per cent of traffic since the pandemic began and will only lose more as a result of the latest restrictions.
"It will have a monetary impact, the traffic will be less, it will have a psychological impact when it reopens because of a lack of confidence, people won't be buzzing back in," Ms Misevic said.
"I'm trying to keep motivated and to see beyond it, but I'm not going to lie, it is getting harder. [Us] small and independent businesses along the highway, I don't know if we're going to survive."
"I'm trying to keep motivated and to see beyond it, but I'm not going to lie, it is getting harder. [Us] small and independent businesses along the highway, I don't know if we're going to survive."
Ms Misevic said the new restrictions mean she will be forced to let staff go, just weeks after feeling confident enough to hire them back.
"We've just brought two girls back, literally, and I'm about to tell them I don't require them anymore," she said. "I don't even know how to tell them. It's heartbreaking."
In Wagga, accommodation businesses have also been impacted. Airbnb proprietors have said the Victorian closure on top of a Sydney lockdown could cut off business altogether.
Peter Bell, who runs an Airbnb in Central Wagga, said he has been operating at about half his typical capacity since the lockdown.
"That is definitely linked to the Sydney-Melbourne corridor, we've had a couple of regional visits but definitely a lot of people have just cancelled," he said.
Mr Bell said it would "go down to zero virtually" as a result of the Victoria border closure and Sydney lockdown.
Airbnb superhost Glen Oakman said he doesn't expect the border closure to bite too much harder, but predicts he lost about 75 per cent of his typical revenue over the Sydney lockdown.
Wagga mayor Greg Conkey shared business owners' concerns and urged all residents to take the opportunity to get vaccinated to avoid a repeat situation.
"I know how tough some people are finding this situation and I can only appeal to everyone, if you are eligible, get vaccinated," he said.
"It's the only way we're getting out of this pandemic, everyone has a responsibility."
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