Small businesses have faced endless challenges since the bushfires and pandemic, with the latest effect of Omicron the greatest hurdle yet.
An ANZ-Roy Morgan survey, released on Monday, found a sharp fall in consumer confidence last week to 97.9 per cent, below the neutral confidence level of 100 and the four-week average of 105.1 per cent.
This represents a drop to its lowest point since October 2020, and is down 7.6 per cent from the previous week, with local Canberra businesses already noticing this trend.
Small business manager of Ms Ba Co in Majura Park, David Ho and owner Richard Ho, have been feeling the effects of the Omicron variant's threat to hospitality operation, saying it has never been more difficult.
"It's been a tough, tough couple of weeks since Omicron, we've been really lucky with our regular loyal customers but it's so quiet in the whole shopping centre where we are," Mr Ho said.
"Even for the lunch rush there isn't that kind of rush anymore because everyone is working from home. We've had people coming up to ask if everything is OK and if we're going alright because it's just so quiet."
"It is probably the most challenging time compared to the whole pandemic because with the new Omicron variant it's hard to prepare, you don't know who's going to get it and you don't know what to do."
Staff being exposed to the virus is another struggle that Mr Ho says has made the business's ability to function as normal more difficult.
"Last week our Tuggeranong store had to close for a week because we were short staffed, we reopened yesterday but it's really hard to tell when someone going to be a close contact or have to isolate," he said.
"Everyone is double vaccinated but we've had so many close contacts where I'll often get a message at 11.30 at night telling me a staff member can't come in tomorrow because of COVID."
The Knox cafe in Watson is also struggling. Having been the first exposure site for the Omicron variant back in early December, general manager Maddy Kreyl said it has only become more difficult since.
"The first Omicron case was the Knox so everyone that was here at that time was deemed a close contact and that was when it was two weeks' quarantine. Since then we've really been presented with a new kind of obstacle every few weeks," Ms Kreyl said.
"It's been super quiet and it's really hard not only juggling with a lack of customers but also the amount of rosters we've had to change because of staff being at an exposure site and going into quarantine, so it's hitting us from both ends."
"At this point the pandemic has just blown one big stretch of time. It's disappointing because it should be alive and busy and this is normally the time where everyone is at their happiest but it's just not been like that."
King O'Malley's pub based in Civic has also been struggling this time round with Omicron, particularly due to there being less government support, says owner Peter Barclay.
"There's definitely been less support now which does make it difficult because the fixed costs are there for all hospitality venues and it's a bit of a chain reaction that everyone depends on everyone else," Mr Barclay said.
"For example the landlords that own the property have to pay rates and land tax so they can't waive rent for tenants without suffering themselves."
"We've traded all the way through, so keeping our doors open to give as many shifts as we can to the staff and to also be there for customers because there's a lot of people who are lonely or they're at home and just need to have a break."
Last week Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the ACT government will not establish a new business support program, confident its existing programs of business support will be enough to weather the impact of Omicron.
Mr Barclay said it's not just the hospitality industry that's struggling, as usual customers in the city are working from home.
"Coffee shops, news agents, dry cleaners and retailers in general are struggling because the ACT government in particular has a new office building in Civic and very few people are working there."
