COVID-19 restrictions on Illawarra businesses will ease further on Wednesday, with the biggest change being the lifting of bans on unvaccinated customers.
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Bill Lever, owner of Levers Picture Framing, Fine Art and Craft Supplies in Wollongong, will fully reopen the physical store to customers tomorrow for the first time in almost six months.
"I look forward to it," Mr Lever said.
"It's the nature of business, isn't it, to get customers in."
When the NSW government announced that businesses could reopen in October, but only to fully vaccinated customers, Mr Lever decided to keep his shop closed until he could welcome all shoppers regardless of their vaccination status.
In the meantime Levers has been operating a call-and-collect service instead.
"We don't want to differentiate, we are not in favour of creating two classes of people," Mr Lever said.
He said this decision had been a costly one, but "we sacrificed for what we believe in".
Aleida Dwarte, who owns Ambiance Ristorante in Unanderra with husband John, is happy to be able to welcome back all customers from Wednesday.
"It's definitely a positive, for two aspects: it's upsetting to have to turn away customers who choose not to get vaccinated... [and] operationally it's a lot easier to not have to stand at the front and check everyone," Mrs Dwarte said.
She said it was also a nicer experience for customers to come in without having to wear a mask or go through check-in upon entry.
It would also be boost for businesses financially, Mrs Dwarte said, because 5 per cent of the population was still a lot of people, and some vaccinated people chose not to dine out because they had family who were not vaccinated.
She said she hoped that people would continue acting with caution by social distancing and avoiding going out when feeling unwell.
Some businesses, however, are choosing to remain closed to unvaccinated customers.
Meanwhile, the Illawarra's peak business organisation has welcomed the NSW government's extended COVID support measures.
A fees and charges rebate for small business has increased from $1500 to $2000, with existing applicants to receive a $500 top-up and new applicants to get a $2000 voucher.
"The rebate scheme is a practical way of eliminating some of those minor but frustrating costs to business and will help them bounce back quicker as consumer demand continues to rise," Business Illawarra executive director Adam Zarth said.
The government has also made other COVID support measures permanent, including extended opening hours for most businesses in business areas and industrial zones; the digitisation of planning documents; and online planning panel meetings.
The NSW government originally planned to reopen non-critical retail and other services to unvaccinated people on December 1, but Premier Dominic Perrottet pushed the changes back to December 15 or the state reaching the 95 per cent fully vaccinated milestone (whichever came sooner) early last month.
As of yesterday, 94.8 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and over had received at least one vaccine dose, and 93.1 per cent were fully vaccinated.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
