Business owners at Batemans Bay, on the New South Wales South Coast, say a COVID-19 cluster is having a huge impact on the town's economy.
Many venues and shops voluntarily closed on Tuesday after eight people linked to the local Soldiers Club tested positive for the virus.
JJs at the Marina owner Jake Cooke has been forced to close the cafe to while his staff are in isolation.
"The effect on the businesses is dramatic," he said.
"Every time you have to shut it down it's like a train crash.
"Then you have to fix the train and get everyone back on board."
Lengthy delays for test
NSW Health is urging anyone who attended the soldiers club on Monday, July 13, 15, 16 and 17 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.
The department is also warning those who attended the venue on July 14 — or anyone else who has been in the Batemans Bay area in the past week — to be on the alert for symptoms.
More than 400 people heeded the advice on Tuesday and flocked to a pop-up testing clinic that opened in the town.
John Heycox said he waited several hours before receiving a swab.
"We had nothing to eat or drink," he said.
Claudia, who did not want to use her surname, said the testing process was inefficient.
"People are feeling confused, because they don't know if they're being tested today," she said.
"There were people here until 9:00pm last night.
"It is really hard when there are so many elderly people here."
There have been no new positive cases linked to the Soldiers Club in the last 24 hours.
Neighbouring towns on alert
Further south, a number of businesses in the tourist town of Mogo have also chosen to close while staff get tested.
The closures follow an announcement from NSW Health that a person who tested positive had visited a cafe in the town last week.
The recent cases have prompted authorities to open a testing clinic at Ulladulla, north of Batemans Bay.
The Ulladulla Respiratory Clinic will provide free testing between 8:00am and 7:00pm for anybody who has symptoms or visited a venue exposed to COVID-19.
