While a number of hospitality venues have been able to return to takeaway service and maintain business accordingly, retail has been hit heavily by a lack of people on the streets.
With foot traffic significantly reduced around town, businesses are being forced to open for fewer hours and smaller customer bases overall.
Guys and Girls owner Georgie Pearse said while people were doing the right thing, businesses were suffering.
“It's great to see everyone is wearing a mask and staying inside to look after each other, but the impact on local business is huge,” she said.
“When we were first hit in March and April it was a really difficult time, but by May we started to see things turn around.
“Then came the border closure and stage three and it has sent us back. There is so much confusion with the border as to what people are allowed to do, where and when they can shop and that really hurts us all.
“We rely on that local traffic so to see it cut down in the way it has been is a real challenge. We all understand what is at stake and we want to see people do the right thing and protect one another, but it definitely presents challenges for those of us running businesses.”
S&J Furniture owner Karl Bauer said the slow down had been inevitable.
“We've had a slow week since the changes came in which we fully expected,” he said.
“We've been through this before, we knew there wouldn't be as much business as people stayed home and did the right thing. But we are grateful that those who do need things that we offer are coming to us for those essentials.
“There is a small but important flow of business at the moment which is really helping, consumer confidence bounced back last time and we fully expect it will again.
“But for now, we want people to follow the advice and stay at home unless they have to.”
LORDS Fashions manager Craig Lord said foot traffic was definitely down.
“With the national chains closing for the time being, there are less people in the streets,” he said.
“With the traffic decreasing, we definitely have had an impact and less people coming through. It's going to continue to be a challenge until we get through this. But we understand the importance of this and we want to see everyone look after themselves.”
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