Business operators need help

WHAT a difference a couple of weeks make.

Just over two weeks ago the

Townsville Bulletin’s front page carried a story about how the city was set for great things.

The headline, Packed to the Rafters, referred to the pending tourism boom that was coming to the city.

The opening of the new Country Bank Stadium had lured tens of thousands of new visitors to the region and confidence was high.

Inside the paper, our biggest concern was the rising crime rate and how that could derail the economic injection.

No one had any inkling of what was coming in the form of coronavirus.

Today the Bulletin’s front page reporting is the polar opposite.

There is hardly a person in the CBD and the city’s premier tourist destination, The Ville Resort-casino, is closed.

Along the way 600 jobs have been lost putting many families in limbo.

Most pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes cannot afford to pay people when no cash is coming into the business, they have no option but to close.

The scary thing is this is just the start. Late yesterday the NRL shut down, putting even more Townsville jobs at risk.

The Government’s new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 has obliterated the hospitality and sporting industry.

Not that it is anyone’s fault, we need strict controls to stop the potential loss of life from the virus.

But what we also need is more help for these businesses so they can reopen once the threat has passed.

The problem, right now, is many people can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and they desperately need support.

Locals can do their part by shopping at home but governments have to do more.

This event is unprecedented and if the dominoes continue to fall there will be a lot more people in need of help both financially and mentally.