Closing down to stay open: businesses having to pay high price to survive in age of Omicron

While the business community looked forward to the end of lockdowns and easing of restrictions, new freedoms brought with it a surge in case numbers leaving owners and managers having to pick up the pieces with a depleted workforce.

Outlets are being forced to shut their doors temporarily as staff members test positive or serve a seven-day isolation period after being identified as a close contact - more often than not of an infected colleague.

But, according to Tamworth's SSS BBQ Barns co-owner Joel Benkoe, it's just the price you have to pay for remaining open in the brave new world that COVID has created.

"I feel like it's pretty much the new normal with opening up now, it's pretty much what we have to live with," he said.

"You've just got to follow the new guidelines and the world at the moment is very dynamic, it's constantly changing so you just have to deal with the changes that you face."

He said there was really no way around having to shut if a large section of the workforce were impacted by a COVID case, with contingency plans often not an option for small businesses adhering to health advice.

That was the reality for Camp Grounds cafe late last month after a staff member tested positive, forcing several co-workers to enter isolation and causing the temporary closure of the popular coffee shop.

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Despite the business community's willingness to take it on the chin, it cannot be a permanent solution according to Tamworth MP and the state's Hospitality Minister Kevin Anderson.

Mr Anderson said as the year rolls on, different solutions may be looked at.

"I'm constantly talking to the industry - pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants and cafes - getting a sense of where they're at and what we can do to support them through staffing," he said.

"It's a continuous monitoring exercise from health, from industry, from government about how we manage this and the crux of the issue is keeping staff at work.

"That is something the government is acutely aware of and certainly allowing staff the opportunity to stay at work through various means is something we're speaking to industry about constantly."

His comments came as Tamworth set yet another record for coronavirus cases, exploding to 90 after a busy New Year's Eve weekend.

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