The Australian Hotels Association have highlighted the huge toll the snap lockdown has had on the mental health of those working in the hospitality industry.

AHA CEO, Bradley Woods, told 6PR’s Gareth Parker the lockdown approach was “disproportionate” and had a huge impact of the mental wellbeing of people across the sector.

“The Health Department needs to be considering not just the social health cost, but there is a mental cost to this as well,” he said.

“A lot of people are working from week to week, paying rent, paying bills without any support, and there is no JobKeeper.”

He welcomed the state government’s announcement of $2,000 grants for small businesses, but said for many the losses will continue long term.

“It will go some way to replacing some of the perishables that small business have lost,” he said.

“There is a lot of damage that is long term as well, we suspect that there is going to be quite a lot of businesses in the city over the next week that just won’t have and see any return of business.

“Large businesses and corporations are not returning to the city.”

Press PLAY to hear the industry’s plea. 

(Photo: iStock by Getty Images.)