Brisbane businesses face uphill battle to reopen by Easter

Businesses caught in Brisbane’s snap three-day lockdown faced an uphill battle to reopen before Easter, with owners estimated to have lost between $12,000 and $65,000 in stock they had purchased for the holiday period.

Business owners were also bracing for low consumer confidence as a result of restrictions, such as masks being mandated indoors, as they scrambled to reopen for the weekend.

Restaurant and Catering Queensland chief executive Wes Lambert said the snap lockdown had put a damper on Easter long-weekend travel and hundreds of events had been cancelled.

“Many businesses did not want to risk buying stock not knowing if…