"The simple answer is we don't make payments for business," the director-general of the ACT Government's economic development directorate, David Dawes, told the business owners who met on East Row opposite the burned building.

"I'm not here to say I can do a whole lot and hand out cheques."

Mr Dawes and other government officials did offer other help – encouraging quick processing of insurance claims, advertising the reopening of businesses, signage, and fast-tracking building inspections.

But for some, that's not enough.

Croissant D'Or owner Manav Porwal said the closure of his Sydney Building shop went much further than the single business – he has Croissant D'Or outlets in Woden and Belconnen which he must keep open under his agreement with Westfield, but has nothing to sell, since all of the baking was done from the Sydney Building.

East Bar and Grill owner Sukhjeet Singh said he was struggling with paying rent and staff wages, as well as support his family, and he had no income protection insurance over the business.

"My insurance doesn't cover me, I will be hit hard," he said, asking the officials and federal Senator Zed Seselja, who also attended, whether he could access government support.

"The simple answer is no, because obviously businesses should have insurance," Mr Dawes said.

"... We do not have governments coming in ... and paying out payments when business could and should have insurance."

East Row was expected to be cleared on Friday afternoon, with normal bus services resuming on Saturday morning.

Worksafe ACT Commissioner Mark McCabe said a structural engineer had cleared part of the building – essentially from the Shooters Bar north, plus some businesses on London Circuit near Mooseheads - as structurally sound.

Businesses in that area were to get access on Friday afternoon, but before they could open their doors again they must have safety certificates for the electricity and gas, with checks of smoke alarms and fire exits. Responsibility for security was also to be handed back to businesses in the cleared area.

Worksafe and other inspectors would be on hand over the weekend to sign off on shopfronts, with some hoping to reopen as early as Friday night or Saturday. But government director of construction services Craig Simmons said that because of the age of the Sydney building, there would be inconsistencies in electrical work, and it was important to ensure that switching on electricity in one part of the building didn't cause an "inadvertent energisation" of another part.

An official from ACT Health warned businesses that any food in their buildings could be compromised and would need inspection.

Mr McCabe said it could be some time before the businesses in the "grey area" south of Shooters Bar, towards London Circuit, could get into their businesses. A hoarding remains around that part of the building, an area that Mr McCabe estimated included as many as 40 per cent of the 41 affected businesses.

The fire aftermath is being felt beyond the Sydney building, with business owners across the road in East Row also feeling the pinch. Javid Osman, who owns the IGA supermarket, said turnover was 40 to 45 per cent down during the week. It was a similar story at McDonalds and Tosolinis. Between them, the businesses employ about 200 people and Mr Osman said they and their staff were suffering. He, too, called for a support package.

An official from the Department of Human Services referred the group to unemployment benefits such as Newstart. The Chamber of Commerce said the law allowed businesses to stand down workers without pay – although it was better if staff could use long-service leave or other leave owed.

Lifeline chief executive Mike Zissler urged business owners to seek help early if they needed it, rather than getting overwhelmed and stressed at the task ahead.

After the meeting, East Bar and Grill owner Mr Singh, who opened three months ago, remained worried about his future.

"I don't know how to pay my rent, the building insurance I'm still paying, my workers I'm still paying, and the government is running away. Just give us some relief," he said.

The owners of the Phoenix bar, meanwhile, were still trying to work out whether they were in the section of the building deemed unsafe or the section cleared. Co-owner Sean Hannigan said they had doubled the size of the bar at the end of last year, expanding into a new space in the ground floor of the Shooters Bar. That left the old part of the Phoenix in the unsound half of the Sydney Building, and the new part possibly able to be cleared.

Mr McCabe also confirmed that asbestos monitoring of the burned building had detected no fibres and there were no concerns about asbestos exposure at this stage.