Jenni Victor and her husband have provided interstate commuters a place to stay for the past eight years, but are already feeling the pinch as the coronavirus cuts business at their caravan park near the South Australian border.
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Mrs Victor is one of many small business owners concerned for their livelihood as tougher restrictions are put in place for people moving in and out of SA.
"Business was really good on Monday because everyone was trying to get back home but it's been very quiet since then and we've had a lot of cancellations," Mrs Victor told AAP.
Normally, the Paringa Caravan Park is booked out for Easter but has since had half its reservations fall through and the couple are expecting more to go.
"We're usually quite busy all year round (but) we haven't had one customer today so things are going to be very quiet over the next few months," she said.
The SA border closure was announced on Sunday and came into effect on Tuesday afternoon with police now stationed on 12 checkpoints as well as monitoring rail and air arrivals.
Anyone entering SA will have to agree to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days or face fines of up to $20,000.
Another business set to suffer from the restrictions is the Bordertown Bakery with co-owner Jodie Mitchell concerned about her future.
She said tourists and those from nearby towns who regularly visited were staying away.
"We're normally busy from morning until close," she said.
"But we should have closed earlier yesterday and today it has died down earlier again," Mrs Mitchell said.
"We're doing everything we can to keep our staff."
Manager of the Morning Loaf Bakery in Bordertown Jane Sanders said she was remaining positive despite the likely impact of the border closure on business.
"It's only really been the last couple of days where people have come to terms with the fact that this is real and we need to get serious," Ms Sanders said.
Australian Associated Press
