The lengthy lockdown imposed by the Victorian government to combat the state's second wave of COVID-19 infections has pushed the small business sector to its limits.
This week, Premier Daniel Andrews
The package will primarily target hospitality, retail, and tourism operators.
But while many struggle, business owners in the Vietnamese community have found a way to adapt during the period of crisis.
Tuan Anh, a restaurant owner in Melbourne’s west, says his business has suffered considerably since the pandemic began.
He has seen a huge downturn in catering orders for parties and social events which he relied on to make ends meet.
“We are badly affected. Before the pandemic, we mainly offered catering services. We used to cater for big gatherings, from four to five to 60-70 guests, we received regular orders every week,” he tells SBS Vietnamese.
“But since the outbreak began, no gatherings and social events were allowed, so we received no orders, then we had to offer home deliveries and travelled long distance, around 100-200 km, to deliver the food.
“Our customers no longer pick up in-store because people avoid going out. They mostly stay at home and cook for themselves, so the impact is huge.”
However, Anh considers himself lucky, as he managed to turn the tide and adapt to the current restrictions while witnessing other restaurants close around him.
Tuan Anh has changed his business model in order to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Tuan Anh
He found a way to successfully collaborate with third-party delivery services, where he says others failed.
Switching to food delivery via apps such as UberEats, Doordash or Deliveroo is a common trend among Vietnamese restaurants.
Tung Nguyen, the owner of a Vietnamese dessert store in Melbourne’s CBD, says he has adapted to “the new normal” by developing his own delivery program, in order to reach more customers.
“When the outbreak began, we saw a decrease in sales and visitors to the store. When the restrictions became stricter, the number of customers dropped even more, and we didn’t receive as much foot traffic as before,” he said.
“Our city branch mainly served office workers and students – now all office workers work at home, and students also study from home, so we have no in-store customers and rely solely on deliveries.”
The restrictions have not only affected the hospitality sector but also the fitness industry.
Tung Nguyen (left) is the owner of Che Desserts in Melbourne, Australia. Source: Tung Nguyen
Hiep Phan, the head coach of a Melbourne taekwondo dojo, said all three branches of his business have been closed since March.
Even though he has used Zoom to deliver online classes, he said the "in-person nature" of his sports made it difficult to run classes online, and several members were unable to continue training at home.
As a result, the dojo's income is next to nothing.
However, Phan firmly believes that the situation will improve, and has come up with new ideas to make online training more exciting.
Hiep Phan (left) in one of this online taekwondo classes. Source: Hiep Phan
“Obviously, online training is not as effective as face-to-face training, so I try to create a lot of activities for our younger members.
“Their classes have fun activities such as wearing pajamas while training or dressing up as superheroes, or colouring games. For older members, we have activities such as a push-up challenge, sit-up challenge, T-shirt challenge, and a bottle cap kick challenge.
"I try to make the online classes more interesting to make up for the fact that we cannot train face-to-face.”
According to Phan, it’s important to maintain physical activities during the lockdown, as it’s beneficial for physical and mental health.
He says if people don’t do something positive while at home, mental health can easily drop.
The Victorian government’s decision to extend Stage 4 lockdowns for another two weeks saw mixed reactions among Vietnamese business owners.
Even though Phan believes the government’s roadmap is “unclear and confusing” to business owners, he says Melbourne is only halfway through the pandemic, so it’s better to slow down, rather than speed up the process.
“We’re nearly there, so another two weeks is not too bad if everyone does the right thing.
“But if we’re too hurried, then another wave might come, and the damage will be even worse, not only in terms of money but also the number of deaths. Too many lives have been lost to this virus.”
Anh believes it’s reasonable to extend Stage 4 restrictions by two weeks.
The streets of Footscray are less crowded than usual during COVID-19. Source: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett
“Personally, I think these two weeks are to control the virus completely, it makes sense to help keep the low number of cases.
“As for businesses, two more weeks or not doesn’t make a difference, the number of customers will be the same. In my opinion, extending the lockdown for two more weeks is okay, as long as we can re-open after that so that people can dine out, gather and throw some parties. It’s better that way.
“If we open up too soon, then we might have another outbreak, which is even more miserable.”
Metropolitan Melbourne residents are subject to Stage 4 restrictions and must comply with a curfew between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
During the curfew, people in Melbourne can only leave their house for work, and essential health, care or safety reasons. Between 5am and 9pm, people in Melbourne can leave the home for exercise, to shop for necessary goods and services, for work, for health care, or to care for a sick or elderly relative.
All Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home, no matter where they live. People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
