Bendigo's hospitality, cinema industries hope greater COVID-19 restriction ease follow soon

Metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria will be under the same restrictions from midnight on Thursday and while masks will continue to be required in indoor, public-facing settings they will no longer be required at schools or at workplaces that don't interact with the public.

Brougham Arms Hotel co-owner Luke Macumber is hopeful Wednesday's announcement will lead to greater relief for the hospitality industry in the coming weeks.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"I think the removal from some settings is fantastic and hopefully the next step is hospitality," he said. "Each easing announcement is a positive step in getting back to normal.

"We're obviously guided by what the government says and as far as we're concerned, we're taking each day as it comes.

"If they tell us to wear masks and if that's what keeps hospitality moving forward, that's what we've got to do for time being.

"I'm looking forward to brighter future."

Mr Macumber said the coronavirus pandemic had hit the hospitality industry hard with worker shortages now plaguing the industry.

"There's a real shortage in staff at the moment and difficulty with keeping people in the industry," he said. "When lockdown our industry is one of the hardest hit and I guess it's wearing thin on a lot of people.

"It's been a really busy school holiday; I think a lot of people from Melbourne are wanting to get out and our hotel has been booked out for a couple of weeks. We're certainly busy, especially with a staff shortage."

Star Cinema manager Martin Myles was pleased to hear about the mask ease and hoped it would soon transpire to lesser restrictions in his venue.

"Our patrons are wonderful and generally understand what's happening," he said. "But I'd be lying if I said the fact you have to wear a mask in cinema didn't keep a percentage of people away.

"The good thing about it is if they purchase something from the bar, they don't have to wear a mask."

Mr Myles said the lockdown fatigue was still effecting business, despite having his doors open for a number of weeks.

"Every time there is a lockdown and restrictions follow, it takes around a month to recover," he said. "We've had patrons call two to three weeks after we've re-opened to ask if we're open; lockdowns hit our business hard.

"We are only now just seeing increased attendance a month after restrictions ended and we welcome any further easing of restrictions.

"Being back to 100 per cent capacity, minimising distancing and not having to wear a mask would make the whole experience more enjoyable and less officious."

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.