As small businesses across Queensland enjoy opening their doors to customers again, there are fears the second wave impacting Victoria and New South Wales will creep its way up.
Rockhampton beauty therapist Carmen Miller is one of many who spent two months in the peak of Queensland's lockdown, out of work.
She said while her employer tried to keep some money coming in through online sales, it's something they don't want to go through again. But she's nervous they might have to.
"We're just kind of waiting it out," she said.
"We're enjoying being able to work while we can and hoping that our government stick to what they're doing so we don't get as bad as other states seem to be at the moment.
"We've been through it before, so hopefully we can learn from that and use what we did last time to do again."
Feeling echoed across the state
It's a feeling Queensland's Small Business Commissioner Maree Adshead said was echoed by many across the state.
"I'm hearing a lot of concern about the situation in Victoria," she said.
"A lot of nervousness and anxiety that a second wave is going to happen and how that might be managed state-wide."
Ms Adshead is travelling the state and speaking with small businesses about how they are fairing working in a COVID-safe environment.
She said it was important small businesses knew they could get help from the commission, particularly in the area of rent relief.
"The number one thing my office is doing is helping small business landlords and tenants negotiate rent relief.
She said nearly 40 per cent of businesses had sought help with negotiating rent with their landlords, but she feared there were more struggling.
"We've only seen 1,300 cases through our office in the past couple of months so I fear we're missing a lot of businesses that are hurting and they don't know how to get help," she said.
"We exist, this service is free and it's having amazing outcomes for the landlords and tenants we get through our office and they've been able to get on with it and trade."
