Businesses in the bushfire-ravaged town of Mogo are on the brink of collapse as COVID-19 forces their closure for the second time this year.
Theresa Matthews' lolly shop was impacted by smoke and asbestos damage. She lost all of her stock as a result.
She said 2020 had been"hellish" for the town now facing its second major crisis in just a few months, and businesses were on the brink of collapse. "Because we've only be trading for four weeks it's going to make it very difficult for us to weather it through the coronavirus," she said. "The rents here in Mogo are high so you've got to pay your rent. With no sales coming in, it's tough.The Mogo Business Chamber fears up to 30 per cent of the remaining businesses would not make it through the coronavirus shutdown.He said many of the town's small businesses were run by sole traders who employ seasonal casual staff, and many would not be eligible for the Federal Government's wage subsidy scheme, JobKeeper."I think we're in for a long road to recovery.
"My biggest fear is that as time goes on the problems in this town, and what people went through with the fires, will be forgotten," he said.
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