From Friday morning, hospitality businesses will move to takeaway only for the next seven days, with dine-in eating banned.
Supermarkets, food stores, bottle shops, banks, pharmacies and petrol stations will remain open, but retail - aside from contactless click-and-collect - will close, alongside hairdressing, beauty, and personal care businesses.
The restrictions have left some hospitality venue owners shattered, with some still trying to recoup losses from Victoria's most recent snap lockdown in February.
It's also left staff wondering where their paychecks will come from, with the federal JobKeeper program no longer active.
Owner of Shepparton's Indian Lounge Guri Singh was lost for words describing how the lockdown would affect his business.
About 20 per cent of Indian Lounge's business is takeaway and 40 per cent deliveries, with the remainder coming from dine-in.
“It's been pretty hard across all hospitality venues, we nearly lost our business,” he said.
“I don't know what to say."
Shepparton Brewery owner Daina Winch said her venue wouldn't open for takeaway next week, but there would be a small amount of work for staff.
“I just roll with the punches and I can’t really do with anything other than that – it’s out of our hands,” Ms Winch said.
“What happens to my casual staff now? How are they living next week?”
She said 200 bookings for Saturday would be cancelled, and groceries ordered for the weekend - the venue's biggest nights are Friday and Saturday - would be frozen or wasted.
Owner of Kialla's The Woolshed Angela Mangiameli was trying to stay positive, but her first thoughts after hearing about the lockdown were "here we go again".
Her staff all work other jobs, so will be able to keep the lights on, but she felt for other businesses who weren't in the same position.
“If it's not a snap lockdown it'll be a massive problem. It's okay for a week or two but people have family and bills and mortgages,” she said.
“I don't know how as a state we can sustain repeat lockdowns.”
The Woolshed had been forced to cancel two large functions, and the produce to cater for them had already been purchased.
However, Ms Mangiameli said the produce would be turned into a takeaway menu for the week ahead.
Tatura-based Lagozzino's Top Pub owner Jenny Lagozzino said it was frustrating to be plunged into lockdown, but the pub would stay open for takeaway and deliveries for the next seven days.
While Ms Lagozzino had been able to host a scheduled Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday morning, raising $1380 for The Cancer Council, she said she would have to cancel other events later in the week.
"It's frustrating, and all the other pubs will be in the same boat," she said.
"We've just got start on our help a local campaign where we take $1 from meals sold during the week and help someone doing it tough, so we hope people are able to support us with takeaway and help us out there."
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