By Jessica Anstice
Salons and spas opened back up to the public on 1 June after being closed for about two months because of the coronavirus, while cafes and restaurants welcomed back sit down service.
‘Non-essential’ services across the Cardinia region will still have to follow a number of guidelines given by the government, however most are back in business.
Berwick’s Envy Lashes owner, Olivia Walker, said she was very keen for her first day back on Tuesday.
“After about 10 weeks of being closed, our clients are all dying to get their lashes done,” she said.
“When it was announced last Sunday we put it out to our clients that we were reopening and the first week back was fully booked within a day.
“We’re all very excited – it will be awesome.”
The Berwick lash salon will be following the government’s strict social distancing rules by only using three of its five beds.
The staff at Garfield beauty salon, Ultimate Indulgence, were also excited to reopen this week.
“We’re looking forward to reopening,” owner Michelle Grimsted said.
“I’m very excited, can’t wait!”
After sitting empty for nearly two months, dining rooms in cafes and restaurants were allowed to reopen on Monday, given restrictions were enforced.
Pakenham’s Urban Hype Cafe ordinarily seats a capacity of 32 customers, however the cafe is now restricted to 20.
“Due to the social distancing we’ve removed some tables and chairs so that we’ve got space to meet the requirements,” co-owner Clint said.
“Through this, our philosophy has been business as usual and we’ve continued to slowly adapt to what is happening. It is what it is.
“We’ve been encouraging people to book a table if they can so we can make sure it’s ready before they come in and we don’t disappoint.”
Clint and co-owner Michelle were thrilled to seat some of their regulars as well as new customers on Tuesday.
“For some of the elderly, their trip to the cafe can sometimes be their only outing activity during their day so it’s good that we can provide that for them,” Clint said.
“It’s nice to have that familiar face and place where they can come in and socialise.
“We appreciate the ongoing support from all of our customers during this time – it’s been amazing. And it has been very humbling to know we’ve made an impact on the community and they’ve supported us immensely.”
