"It's the worst I've ever seen it," says publican Glen Knight.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"Freedom Day" wasn't quite the boon some thought it might be, particularly in regional areas that had more "freedom" from restrictions before October 11 than after.
Glen, who owns the Exchange Hotel and the Wynter Tavern, both in Taree, says business is much worse now that lockdown has lifted and restrictions have eased for the fully vaccinated.
His businesses have suffered in and out of lockdown but, he says, trade has not fallen like it is doing presently.
"It's almost not worth being open in (the) food and beverage (industry)," Glen says.
Also in the news:
However, thankfully, takeaway business from the pubs' bottle shops is "okay", according to Glen.
Glen puts it largely down to the health regulations around vaccinations, requiring people to be double vaccinated before they can enter the premises. He suspects many people have only had a single dose and are waiting for their second vaccination, given the shortage of vaccination supply regional and rural areas have experienced.
"There's a lot of discontent about it," he says.
Hopefully we'll have a solid trading period through summer.
- Glen Knight
While he has had some pushback from aggressive people, thankfully it hasn't been too much.
"In the main they're not agro, they're frustrated. We were surprised within our group at how many people didn't realise they couldn't come in on Monday (October 11). We thought that was a bit strange.
"At the Exchange the first half a dozen were unable to come in on Monday morning, people that we know weren't quite ready."
Glen is looking forward to December 1, when unvaccinated people will be allowed the same freedoms that vaccinated people are already experiencing.
"I'd like to think that trade will bounce back a bit more. We're going backwards each day and it's already been a really tough 18 months," he says.
"Hopefully we'll have a solid trading period through summer."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
Did you know? Manning River Times online subscribers not only have 24/7 access to local and national news, sport, what's on and entertainment - they also have access to our print editions in digital format, with all the advertisements and classifieds at their fingertips.