By Oliver Lees
Businesses across Sunbury have been working hard to adapt as elements of the state’s lockdown were last night.
With more than 70 per cent of eligible Victorians now having received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination, pubs, clubs, entertainment venues and hairdressers were able to open their doors to the public for the first time in months.
Speaking this morning, Pav’s Bar and Grill owner Josh ‘Pav’ Pavia said he could barely contain his excitement as he prepared to welcome up to 50 outdoor and 20 indoor patrons to his restaurant on Gap Road.
“It’s awesome. We’re all very, very excited, it’s been a bit of a restless week sleep wise but we can’t wait,” he said.
“It’s hard to put into words, the local support is just unbelievable.
“We’ve got a fair few bookings, and now we’ve got to go from putting meals in a cardboard box to making them look nice on the plate.”
Knot Just Blond hairdressers took to Facebook to remind its customers to wear a mask and check-in.
The salon has experienced enormous interest in its services with all appointments booked until November 5.
Sunbury Business Association president Michael Osborne said although it was exciting to see some traders back on track, not everyone was in a position to open.
“It will be great to see people out and about, it’s certainly a big step forward,” he said.
“But I don’t think we’ll be seeing a lot of hospitality open because of the confusion. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a dampener on what should be a really exciting day.”
Mr Osborne said new measures requiring all hospitality staff to be double vaccinated had left some businesses with no choice but to delay their opening.
As a further measure, any individual found to be dining at a hospitality venue that is not fully vaccinated could face a $20,000 fine, while businesses could incur a $100,000 fine for allowing unvaccinated patrons.
“I think it’s extremely unfair after what small businesses have been going through to now have to be the enforcers with these directions,” Mr Osborne said.
“It’s just something that a small business doesn’t need at this point in time.”
