LOCAL businesses have borne the brunt of the latest snap seven-day lockdown in South Australia.

Gawler cafes and bakeries says they had to throw out thousands of dollars worth of product while also losing turnover as custom dried up during last week’s Level 5 redstrictions.

Donna Wright, who owns Java Hut on Murray Street, Gawler, said it was a difficult situation for nearly everyone.

“We lost quite a bit of stock – we tried to keep as much as we could, but business was down around 90 per cent,” she said.

“Last time around, the government gave all the grants and got people on JobKeeper, and with all that money being pumped through the community, a lot was spent on food and takeaway supporting local businesses.

"That obviously didn’t happen this time, and I know one of my staff who was meant to get the money for missing out on work hours was told she had to register for Centrelink to get it, so the assistance wasn’t as accessible either.

“It’s tough for the government because with lockdowns you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and I think we’ve done the right thing compared to how late NSW left it.

“If we think there’s going to be a chance that we have more of these short-notice lockdowns, I think assistance to people and businesses needs to be easier and quicker to access, because when you lose 90 per cent of your take and the bills don’t stop, it makes things hard.”

Ms Wright also suggested replacing the blanket cash grant figure of $3000 for small businesses with a more personalised number that took into account each business’s individual turnover, saying “$3000 is great for some businesses, but for businesses like mine, it’s just a drop”.

Fellow Murray Street business Gawler Hot Bread Bakery reported losing about $1300 in wasted product.

Owner Ryan Nguyen said there needed to be more warning, or more help, next time similar COVID-19 restrictions were imposed.

“At a bakery, we bake everything two to four days in advance, so when we go into lockdown, all of that work goes to waste,” he said.

“I’d say we had to throw out about $1300 worth of food, and then staying at Stage 4 restrictions means we won’t really have the foot traffic down Murray Street for a while to make it back.

“It’s hard for the government, but if there was a way to give us four or five days’ notice, or some warning that it could be coming, it would give us time to properly prepare.”