Snow cancellations create openings for opportunistic Canberrans

A further tightening of restrictions saw Sydney residents turn around and head home on Friday evening with some snow resorts, accommodation providers and hospitality venues checking IDs and turning residents of locked-down LGAs away.

Several Airbnb hosts had dropped their prices on Monday with hosts reportedly losing the majority of bookings for the next two weeks.

Renata Gielis manages a number of studio apartments, as well as one and two bedroom accommodation facilities in Jindabyne.

She said 100 per cent of bookings had been cancelled for the school holidays over the last few days.

Ms Gielis said since reducing her rates she'd taken new bookings from people travelling from Canberra and the South Coast, however, the impact was still devastating.

Back home, Jamala Wildlife Lodge were hoping to fill spots from cancelled interstate travellers by offering ACT residents a 25 per cent discount on stays at the zoo.

Ms Gielis said she hoped Canberrans took advantage of being able to travel these school holidays.

"We have such uncertain times now that in view of supporting small businesses in regional places like Jindabyne," Ms Gieles said.

"They will benefit as much as we will because they'll be able to experience the good snow we've been having without the crowds."

Snow fell at Perisher all day on Saturday and the resort coverage was close to complete. The entire resort area was expected to open in the next few days, with businesses banking on a bumper season after last year's Covid loss.

Thredbo Resort General Manager Stuart Diver said face masks were compulsory in all its indoor venues and they highly recommended the use of face coverings when outdoors.

He said the resort had proactively contacted guests in the impacted Sydney regions to offer cancellation solutions.

Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce spokesman Olivier Kapetanakos said business owners were now calling the 2021 situation a disaster.

"There's anxiety about whether the lockdown is going to continue past July 11 and there's horror that it happened so quickly and with so very little preparation," he said.

"We've got businesses that have been emptied overnight, literally overnight."

Mr Kapetanakos said restaurants had been emptied by police for overcrowding with little warning.

"When the new rules came in at 6pm on Friday the police were very zealous in enforcing them," he said.

"It's really not good."

NSW Police issued 44 infringements for breaches of public health orders across the state over the weekend, including four $200 infringements for people failing to wear a mask.

Two men were among those fined $1000 after they had to be rescued from the Royal National Park at Otford.

A 30-year-old man was found naked and a 49-year-old man was found partially naked after reportedly getting lost in bushland during a visit to a remote beach.

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