Sunday’s announcement from the state government to lift the latest lockdown did not come with celebration or fanfare because we know it’s highly likely to happen again.
And each time it does, businesses hurt. And they hurt in short bursts, which we’re learning in some cases is like death by a thousand cuts.
Most of the community will take a positive that we can again live our lives to some degree of normality, albeit with masks and other restrictions.
For two weeks, weddings and funerals will be limited to small groups, and school teachers will now be required to wear masks which they’ll see as an inconvenience.
The authorities are rightly reminding us that the sufferance is relative. Other parts of the world are not allowed to talk while they eat in restaurants, the premier says.
And in New South Wales, there are hundreds of cases each day, made worse by the deaths related to Covid.
The business community in Logan will likely for now breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Owners will pull out their calculators, count their losses, put on a brave face, and again move forward with what they do best – serving their customers.
They are hopeful that people will remain confident to get on with their lives, because that means they’ll be happier to spend, happier to eat out, happier to engage with services that are integral cogs in our economy.
They are hopeful because they know they must make hay while the sun shines. This is no longer seen as “the other side of lockdown”. Rather, it is being seen as the next window of opportunity – an unknown amount of time through which they can prop up their businesses in preparation for whatever comes next.
It’s tough. But so are our business owners. And we must support them as best we can.
