Businesses Reopen As Cowra Emerges From Lockdown

The retail and hospitality industries in Cowra have celebrated reopening, after the Cowra Shire was released from a month of lock-down last Saturday.

The welcome announcement came at NSW Health’s daily press conference last Thursday morning, with Deputy Premier John Barilaro announcing that Cowra Shire was among the Local Government Areas in regional NSW deemed low risk, and able to come out of lockdown.

Around 50% of regional NSW emerged from lockdown, with LGA’s recording no positive COVID cases within the last two weeks being released from lockdown. The lockdown was Cowra’s second since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although it was around a month shorter this time around, it was harsher, with non-essential retail forced to close its doors, along with hospitality businesses.

Style For Women was just one example of a local retail business forced to close during the lockdown.

Owner Jill Boyd said being able to reopen on Saturday was a relief. “Saturday was our first day of being open, and it was very busy along the main street. It was our best day since before the lock-down started,” she said.

Mrs Boyd said she pulled through the lock-down by applying for the NSW Government’s JobSaver program and Business Support Grant, as well as trading online via Facebook.

“The grant and JobSaver definitely helped our cash flow, as we still had to pay some bills like electricity and rent. This allowed us to reopen on the other side of the lockdown. We did some sales over Facebook too which was good too,” she said. Cowra Services Club Manager Lloyd Garratt said the club benefited from the same State Government business support, and it helped the club continue paying its bills during the lock-down.

He said it was great for the entire Cowra community that his club was now open again, and not just the club itself, saying it was a regular meeting place for many people.

“It’s a community hub. Our regulars come at the same time on the same days every week as it’s their social outings, and for some, the only socialising they do,” he said.

“It’s very important for people’s social lives that clubs are open.” The club reopened on Saturday with local entertainer Marc McLeish playing live music to launch the club’s reopening.

Mr Garratt said a “fair” crowd attended the club on Saturday, and he hoped people would become more confident to get back out in public in the near future.

“There’s still a level of uncertainty and ap-prehensiveness, as just one COVID case in the shire could throw us back into lockdown, but with vaccination rates in Cowra so high, I hope more people will come out to the club again,” he said.

• Topics:
• Covid-19
• Lock-downs
• Local Ecomony / Business