COVID restrictions: Whitehorse businesses desperate to reopen
Puppies may become aggressive in the future if they aren’t allowed access to classes soon, trainers say, as small business owners banned from operating desperately wait for good news from the Premier.
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Desperate Whitehorse small business owners are pleading with the State Government to allow them to reopen.
Vermont dog trainer Jools Mobbs is hopeful Premier Daniel Andrews will allow her industry to return to work on Monday, following his announcement on the easing of some restrictions on Sunday.
“Not being able to do (training) since the beginning of August has been incredibly difficult for trainers and owners,” Ms Mobbs said.
“We’ve got clients who were making fantastic progress up until lockdown occurred and they’ve slipped backwards.”
More than 1600 have supported the push for dog trainers to be able to return to work on Ms Mobbs’ petition.
Ms Mobbs, who runs Wonder Paws Dog Training, said having no training allowed whatsoever was like “a ticking time bomb” waiting to go off.
“If a dog has not been taught how to meet other dogs in a correct way then that dog could be potentially aggressive to other dogs in the future,” she said.
“We have so many dog owners who have rescued a dog or got a puppy during iso and have not had access to the normal service of some dog trainers and puppy classes.”
Ms Mobbs said dog trainers would be able to social distance “super easily” and conduct
training outside.
She said dog trainers were like personal trainers, who have been allowed to start operating again.
“They’re no different to dog trainers who can operate the same way except we have a furry four-legged animal.”
Meanwhile Mitcham’s Kerrie Fraser has joined the push for Melbourne dance schools to reopen.
Ms Fraser, who owns the Victorian Dance Academy Studio, said during the Stage 4 lockdown she had not been allowed inside her own business.
“I live within the 5km zone of my own building, but because we are not a permitted industry I can’t even go to an empty building on my own to teach to a TV screen,” she said.
“It absolutely does my head in, when I can go to the supermarket, go to the playground … this is not just me it’s every metropolitan dance school, we’re not permitted to step inside our buildings.”
Ms Fraser said dance schools ran a socially distant program in a clean and hygienic way, and owners already had COVID Safe plans in place.
“None of our students are older than 18; they can all go to kinder and school where they can dance but they can’t come to us; it’s just crazy.”
She said she had lost 75 per cent of her income during lockdown.
Lisa Milliken, who runs a small home based beauty business as a sole trader in Mitcham, has expressed her fears about new guidelines for home beauty and hair salon owners.
Ms Milliken, who runs Lisa’s Lashes & Spray Tanning, said there was talk that home based sole traders may not be able to open unless the home business is separate to the place of residence (with a separate door).
“This is nearly impossible and could severely damage mine, and a lot of other peoples’ businesses,” she said.
“Possibly close them forever.
“I am struggling to understand how it is OK for salon based businesses to open, following the exact same protocols as we would be able to do at home (obviously without allowing clients to go anywhere or use any of our facilities apart from what is in the business part of the room).”
She is pleading with the Department of Health and Human Services not to go ahead with the changes.
Melbourne’s hairdressers and barber shops are also pushing to be allowed to reopen after Monday, with thousands jumping on board their campaign.
The Premier offered hope for Victorians that Sunday will see a “significant” easing of restrictions.
“I look forward to giving people a sense of what the coming weeks will look like (on Sunday).”
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