Editorial
There has never been a better time to support local business.
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We're running a list of Illawarra businesses who are ready and waiting to help you across a wide range of services. Now is the most important time to make sure we are helping local business as much as possible.
We launched our free Open For Business directory during the early moments in the pandemic restrictions which were imposed around the country. Now over 300 local businesses who are ready and waiting to serve you, have registered.
The Illawarra Mercury proudly wears it as a badge of honour that we were the first Australian Community Media masthead in the country to run an eight-page lifout of businesses in early April. Today we are the first paper in the country to run a 12-page wraparound.
We are proud to do our bit to help local businesses who have been challenged through this period. In conjunction with this we've also run our Taking Care of Business campaign highlighting those businesses who are innovating or adapting to continue to operate during this period.
It comes as a poll of businesses by Business NSW believe 72 per cent of businesses will be able to survive the coronavirus crisis. That's a positive figure considering how many thought it would look.
"The optimism and 'can do' attitude of business owners and their employees has never surprised me; however, this has been the ultimate test of their endurance and perseverance," Illawarra Business Chamber executive director Adam Zarth said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also foreshadowed a possible further easing of restrictions next Friday, which would allow many other businesses to return to operating.
He said Australians had earned an "early mark". Yet he also stressed the number of people downloading the COVIDSafe app would impact that. So ultimately there is two ways you can personally help businesses. Shop locally and download the app.
A special thank you to Vivienne Manzano from Balloon Expressions for featuring on our Open For Business cover of Saturday's printed edition.
