Covid lockdown: Canberrans celebrate ‘Freedom Day’ in their own subdued way

The nation’s capital quietly celebrated “Freedom Day” after eight weeks of lockdown, with barbers holding the hottest ticket in town.

When the Freedom Day alarm chimed Canberra hit the snooze button.

After eight weeks of lockdown the city was understandably groggy. The bursts of intermittent heavy rain didn’t help.

Despite boasting the highest level of vaccination in the world, with 76 per cent of people aged 12 and above fully vaccinated, Canberrans aren’t resting on their laurels.

Besides a few more people out and about, Civic was largely unchanged.

A sleepy start to Canberra's new lockdown free reality. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Canberra's "freedom day" was plagued with changeable weather. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

At Canberra Centre in Civic, most retail stores remained closed.

While Sydney-Siders flocked to rummage through Kmart’s racks, Big W and Target quietly reopened in Canberra for click and collect only.

Big name stores are sticking to click and collect despite ACT's lockdown ending. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

East Row Speciality Coffee opened its doors for the brunch rush.

Manager Daniel Gaudiosi said Covid restrictions allowed him to welcome up to 20 dine-in customers; a number far less than its normal capacity of 62.

“We’re running at less than half our capacity,” Mr Gaudiosi said.

“It’s not where we want to be but it’s a step in the right direction.

“I haven’t had to turn away customers yet but I have blocked out a couple of timeslots for bookings on the weekend.

“Customers have still been wary about not crowding places, which is good.”

East Row Speciality Coffee manager Daniel Gaudiosi is happy to serve his customers in person. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Despite limited capacity, Mr Gaudiosi said he was just happy to be able to personally serve a plate of food to his customers, rather than dispassionately sending off meals in boxes for delivery.

“I’m looking forward to seeing faces, to seeing my regular customers,” he said.

“I love talking to customers and getting to know them.”

Men's Biz in Canberra Centre is booked out until November. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Meanwhile at the Men’s Biz barbershop in Canberra Centre, there’s a steady stream of gents eager to rid themselves of their lockdown mop-tops.

“We’ve been flat out,” Men’s Biz manager Caius Crook said.

“As soon as we got word we were starting up again all of our bookings completely filled.

“Usually if we’re booked out it’s only for a day or two in advance.

“Now we’re booked out for three weeks … which is unheard of for most barber shops.”

Mr Crook said he was forced to turn away 100 potential customers in one day.

“It’s completely unprecedented,” he said.

“We did consider (extending our hours) but everyone is already picking up extra hours to accommodate for more spaces.

“We’re trying to get everyone in because we don’t want to be fully backed up for months.”

Despite the fanfare Mr Crook is unsure if the increased demand would remedy the business lost after eight weeks of lock down.

“Its hard to say. People are always going to want to get their haircut,” he said.

“We’ll definitely make up a little bit especially in this period.”

ATNL Nail Salon owner Quyen Nguyen. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

It was the calm before the storm for ATNL nail salon owner Quyen Nguyen, as she prepared for a deluge of customers keen to restore their claws over the weekend.

The salon is equipped with shields at every seat and under Covid restrictions, Mrs Nguyen is only able to welcome five customers at any time.

While being interviewed, Mrs Ngyuen was whisked away multiple times to respond to Canberrans clamouring for a seat at her salon.

“A lot of customers are trying to book because their nails are now too long,” she said.

“(My customers) are very excited and they’ve told me they’re happy to get out of the house and relax.”

“I’m happy to get back to normal.”