Church St Hotel Wodonga's Stacey and Michael Beattie keen for crowds

Stacey Beattie, of Church St Hotel, said while happy to be open, she and husband Michael were devastated to be restricted to 10 people inside and 20 outside.

"We've had one per four square metres in the past and even one per eight square metres would have given us 70 patrons," she said.

"Ten people inside is a bit empty, but everyone has been in great spirits and we've had enormous support.

"Within the first half an hour of the announcement (that lockdown would end), we had over 50 messages through Facebook and our phone has a capacity of 45 messages and that was full."

Many Border residents have headed out to enjoy the easing of restrictions in regional NSW and Victoria.

While it was a positive weekend for many business owners, industry leaders warn the true impact of lockdowns is still to be revealed.

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Mrs Beattie said her hotel would not open until Thursday this week because of the challenges to make the capacity limits viable.

"It's disappointing to come back like this," she said.

"I've got a third of my staff shifts this week and I'm not sure what sort of ongoing support there is for us.

"We want everybody to be safe, but we think this is overly cautious."

The Beatties took over Church St Hotel in July, 2020, and have yet not been able to operate at full capacity.

"We can fit 300 in our main area, including the inside, and we've never been able to have that, so that's a dream for us," Mrs Beattie said.

"We've also got a function area which would add another 100 to that.

"Everyone has been doing the right thing, checking in and wearing masks.

"Wodonga people know what they're up for now are really in the routine, but it would be nice to be able to have some more.

"We'll keep on keeping on."

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