Tara Murray
Two-thirds of Whittlesea residents say their mental health has suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic while more than 80 local businesses have closed their doors since March, according to two council surveys.
The council conducted a number of surveys with residents and local businesses to assess the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns on residents.
The council’s COVID-19 impact survey found that the pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental health.
Of the 623 people who have answered the survey so far, 33 per cent said they were stressed about their finances and 88 per cent said COVID-19 had caused a negative impact on their lives.
The council’s COVID-19 business impact survey collected information from nearly 300 businesses between June and September.
Since March, 85 businesses have closed permanently in Whittlesea.
Council acting chief executive Joe Cabone, who spoke about some of the survey results at a recent council meeting, said it was hard to know whether the businesses have closed purely due to COVID-19 but it was believed it was a major contributor.
The majority of the businesses that have closed are food-related, with health and beauty another heavily affected industry.
In September alone, 13 food, health or beauty premises closed permanently, according to the survey.
Currently, 344 hair and beauty premises remain temporarily closed, while 1386 food premises are restricted to takeaway only.
Nearly 100 applications had been received, with a further 80 pending, for the council’s business assistance grants which are part of its $500,000 business relief and resilience program.
The council has also developed a COVID-19 Snapshot [CSNAP] survey tool to collect anecdotal observations from community-facing staff at Whittlesea.
During September, CSNAP found sports clubs were concerned about lost opportunities for fundraising during the pandemic, which had left them financially vulnerable.
It also showed that young people who normally use skate parks have been feeling isolated and trapped, with use of skate parks still restricted.
Parents had also been left stressed when playgrounds were closed, limiting how they could keep their children entertained.
The council is also predicting a rise in unemployment, expecting 3199 local jobs to have been lost in the September quarter.
