COVID-19 restrictions may have been eased, but after almost a month of heightened restrictions, dozens of shops in Perth's city centre remain empty or shuttered, and crowds on the streets are thin.
Some arcades appear almost abandoned, with all but a few stores closed and hallways silent to foot traffic.
Level 2 restrictions were eased on Thursday, but businesses and lobby groups were never confident the move would bring the subdued CBD back to life.
Sam Fazio — whose family has run Jon's Shoe Repair in Trinity Arcade for 45 years — nods towards the near-empty arcade.
"You can hear nothing at the moment. It's pretty bad," Mr Fazio said.
"We say 50 per cent down, but it's you know, I'd say, a good 70 per cent down."
It is not surprising, when so many businesses are giving employees the option to work from home, and with the state at — or at least near — its predicted COVID-19 peak.
Last month, shortly after level two restrictions were introduced, a Property Council of Australia survey showed only 55 per cent of people were working in Perth city offices compared to before the pandemic.
Mask mandate seen as major impediment
Peak business and property groups have repeatedly warned that the ongoing mask mandate was the major impediment to employees returning to the workplace.
The Property Council has called for the requirement to be dropped by the end of April at the latest.
"We can't see that easing of restrictions from level two to level one will make a marked difference on occupancy of the city because our polling tells us people are choosing not to come in because they don't want to wear a mask at their desk," Property Council state executive director Sandra Brewer said.
The poll found only 10 per cent of employees were working from home due to a fear of catching the virus, while 61 per cent were staying away because of the mask mandate.
It means a lot of office workers are not spending their time and money in city shops.
The lack of activity was reflected in Google mobility data, which showed the number of people going to retail and recreation venues in the city had fallen by 44 per cent since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, the number of people going to supermarkets, pharmacies and public transport locations was down by about a quarter.
Even the number of people going to parks in the city fell by 43 per cent.
Check-in changes unlikely to make a difference
Kaitlan Turner is a Hay Street Mall shop assistant who has watched the decline up close.
"Some days are so quiet it doesn't feel like it was worth opening the store," she said.
"This whole section here has been sectioned off now, so I'm not too sure what has closed down, but it's really quiet compared to what it used to be."
Under the latest rules, check-ins are not required, unless it is at a venue that also requires proof of vaccination.
But Ms Turner said customers did not usually have a problem with checking in, and was not sure dropping the requirement would make a difference.
Lyn Arnott, who was shopping nearby, agreed.
"It doesn't make a lot of difference to me. If I want to go somewhere, I'll go there," she said.
Call for masks to be optional
While Premier Mark McGowan is encouraging people to go into work rather than stay at home, the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it would take more than that to see any real change.
"In terms of that reduction in foot traffic we've seen for small retailers in the CBD, [we] don't expect for that to fully recover until we get to a point where the mask mandates have been relaxed," the chamber's chief economist, Aaron Morey, said.
Mr Fazio said people just did not like wearing masks.
"Give the people the option," he said.
"OK, if you want to wear a mask, and you're happy to wear it, wear it. People who don't want to wear it, then don't wear it."
Mr McGowan has indicated he would further ease restrictions as quickly as safely possible according to health advice.
