Services providers in Alice Springs forced to shut shop as Omicron wreaks havoc

The delivery of vital goods and services are being impacted in the Territory, but the biggest challenges for small businesses and organisations could still lie ahead.

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A COMBINATION of chronic staffing shortages and exposure to Covid-19 is having a dire impact on the provision of vital goods and services in Alice Springs.

As Omicron case numbers rise in the Red Centre, businesses and organisations are facing unprecedented challenges to keep their doors open, and the worst could be yet to come.

The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress announced on Monday morning it was unable to open its Larapinta clinic for the entire week due to staff shortages arising from “isolation requirements”.

On Sunday, Tangentyere Council, the service provider for Alice Springs town camps, announced it would drastically scale back its services for at least a day after a team member tested positive to the virus.

The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress's Larapinta clinic will shut for at least a week due to ‘isolation requirements’.

Eastside IGA, operated by Lhere Artepe Supermarkets, has reopened after staff were exposed to the virulent Omicron strain en masse over the first days of the new year.

However, due to isolation requirements for close contacts, the supermarket is operating on reduced hours until further notice.

“Slowly but surely we are coming out from the woods,” Temba Ncube said, Lhere Artepe Supermarkets chief executive.

“This time, we were unfortunate because we had many staff working at one time to do a stocktake. We’ve put additional plans in place through working with the CDC (Centre for Disease Control).”

Mr Ncube said 23 out of 40 staff on the books at Eastside IGA had been forced into isolation.

Going forward, Mr Ncube said shifts will be staggered to limit the impact on staff numbers if a team member becomes infected.

A total of 10 Eastside IGA employees tested positive to Covid-19. Picture: Lee Robinson

It comes as supermarket shelves across Australia are stripped bare due to supply chain shortages stemming from workers being caught up in a national Covid spike.

A vaccination pass system implemented on Monday will act as an additional safeguard in some public venues, however Territorians are not required to be double vaccinated to enter supermarkets.

Mayor Matt Paterson said a lot has been “up in the air” for businesses since case numbers began to rise in Alice Springs.

“It was always a matter of when – not if – the virus was coming here,” he said.

“And it’s already the case that just about every small business owner you speak to says, ‘We’re short staffed’.

“As more people start to get Covid and there are more close contacts there could be additional businesses struggling to remain open.” Mr Paterson said it was fortunate the community had had the time to get its vaccination rate up before Covid-19 began to spread in the Territory, which has not been the case in other parts of the country.