Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the toughest tasks many local businesses owners have faced in their lives.
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While cross-border residents will be able to travel 40 kilometres into South Australia for services from Friday, stage three restrictions in Victoria has forced Kaniva's Heartfelt Cafe to close its doors.
Before the pandemic, the cafe was frequently used as a place for residents to meet and socialise, while providing a great service to people travelling to and from Victoria.
The cafe's part-owner Sharon Merrett said the business made the tough decision to keep its doors closed due to it being unable to operate as a takeaway only business.
"We are not set up for takeaway - people usually come in, order a coffee and stay for around an hour socialising," Mrs Merrett said.
Current restrictions have been tough for numerous businesses, but she believes towns such as Kaniva face an added uphill struggle.
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"It's bad for Kaniva due to the fact we are not receiving the same amount of traffic from South Australia and Victoria," Mrs Merrett said.
Mrs Merrett stated since the implementation of border restrictions earlier this year, the cafe has seen a steady decline in business.
"From when the borders stopped, the business has dropped by around 40 per cent," Mrs Merrett said.
"During June and July it was pretty good, as we had people travelling around Victoria visit the town."
With changes happening on a near daily basis, businesses have had to find ways to adapt to new restrictions.
Mrs Merrett hopes the cafe's doors are only closed for a short period of time, but admits it would be foolish to look too far into the future.
"We are hoping that we can reopen in mid-September - hopefully stage three restrictions will be eased by then," Mrs Merrett said.
She also stated how the cafe provides a great service to the Kaniva community.
"We provide a service to the town - older people like to gather at the cafe, as do mothers with their babies," Mrs Merrett said.
"We thought if the way we were operating before didn't work for the locals, it didn't work for us either."
While there is still plenty of water to go under the bridge in regards to the current pandemic, businesses such as Heartfelt Cafe are doing their best to weather the storm and come out on the other side in one piece.
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Taylor Harvey
Taylor is the lone journalist at the Border Chronicle, which serves as a news medium for residents of the Tatiara. This is his first job in the field after completing his study at the University of Adelaide.
Taylor is the lone journalist at the Border Chronicle, which serves as a news medium for residents of the Tatiara. This is his first job in the field after completing his study at the University of Adelaide.
