The extension of the Greater Sydney lockdown by a further week has been dubbed a "crushing blow" for Illawarra business owners and their employees.
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Business Illawarra executive director Adam Zarth said while the NSW government has always balanced the health and economic outcomes of the pandemic, there was no hiding that it would be a "huge blow for local business, big and small, across the Illawarra".
"An initial analysis of Business NSW's statewide survey data shows that 48 per cent of those surveyed believe the revenue impact of this current two-week lockdown is already somewhat equivalent to the revenue impact of two months after the first major lockdown last year, and this time around there's no JobKeeper to help cushion the fall," Mr Zarth said.
"Concerningly, around one in five businesses say they only have enough cashflow to get them through the next month of operations.
"So an extended lockdown will see businesses close down, and unlikely to reopen."
Meanwhile, thousands of staff and hoteliers across NSW have been left "devastated" and "exhausted" by the extension of the Greater Sydney lockdown and state-wide restrictions.
Australian Hotels Association NSW CEO John Whelan said the hotel sector would continue to play its role in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but needed certainty moving forward.
"The lockdown extension is devastating news for more than 50,000 Greater Sydney-based staff who are out of work for another week, as well as the broader NSW hotel industry which has operated under restricted trading conditions for more than 15 months and counting," Mr Whelan said.
"Our staff have rent and bills to pay. Many are not eligible for government support and a third week with no work really hits hard.
"Country and regional NSW have had no cases, but businesses there are also facing an extra week of restrictions."
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