THE centre of Queanbeyan resembled a ghost town this morning (August 16) as the city comes to terms with its week long lock down.

Monaro Street — usually busy with people — was “extraordinarily quiet” as the city responds to a rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.

Likening it to a ghost town, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) Mayor Tim Overall says it’s an “eerie situation”.

“There are only a few cars about, a few people walking with their dogs, a garbage truck, its very quiet,” Mr Overall says.

The sentiment was backed up by a local buses owner who was setting up for the day and commented how “bare” it was.

“It’s so quiet, it’s a worrying time,” he says.

New South Wales was plunged into a state-wide lockdown from 5pm on Saturday (August 14) after daily cases reached an all-time pandemic high of 466.

Mr Overall says he wasn’t surprised about the seven-day snap lockdown arguing it was “only a matter of time” before COVID-19 infiltrated more regional communities.

“We have seen that in Dubbo, Armidale and Tamworth, so people are resigned to it, we just have to cope with it and look for brighter days,” he says.

“Around 60 per cent of greater Queanbeyan’s population were under stay at home orders anyway, as that number of people had visited the ACT on or after midnight on Thursday August 5th, so the state-wide lock-down isn’t a surprise.”

As the local economy grinds to a stand still, Mayor Overall has called upon local business to maintain the faith and stay the course.

“I appreciate the anxiety and the financial difficulty a lot of businesses are going through but I recommend staying with it, personally I think are going to be out of this by the end of the year,” he says.

Among the measures QPRC may consider is the re-introduction of hardship measures for local rate-payers.

“Council provided hardship provisions for residents having difficulty paying rates, we will look at that again when council meets later this month,” he says.

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