Stuart Hotel manager Athol Schmidt said it was a big blow, but unfortunately a necessary move by the government at this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We've got 25 staff, everyone's taking it pretty hard especially the backpackers because they really don't know what the future holds," Mr Schmidt said.

"We've still got the bottle-shop for now, accommodation too but that's died off completely.

"Unfortunately, the government need to be proactive and that's what they're doing. Realistically, there's probably no other way to do it," he said.

The Katherine Hotel will also rely on its bottle-shop to stay afloat, but licensee Robert Harney said he was unsure the money would keep coming in.

"With the pubs closed I expect the bottle-shop will see a bit of an uptick, but that's only until everyone else starts to run out of money," he said.

As everyone searches for solutions, the Katherine Country Club have gotten creative and will trial a food delivery service in an attempt to keep staff on board.

"We're just doing our best to keep staff on and the business running, we're in discussions with liquor licensing to maybe open a takeaway service for alcohol as well."

"We have 50 staff at the moment, the delivery service will be 5 or 6. We really need people to support us and order food," said head chef Emma Fitzpatrick.

"Everyone working here is pretty much local at the moment, and my apprentice doesn't know how she'll pay her bills or rent now," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

The demand isn't there for everyone, however, and the Katherine Club will be shutting entirely until they can trade as usual.

"Our takeaway service is minimal so it's just not worth keeping open," manager Alison Vincent said.

"We've got 33 staff, and we're having to shut completely. I think we'll get through it but we've got to be vigilant and source help.

"It is really hard, what we would like to see is some sort of booster package that can help us help our staff, and ease the load on us with some tax cuts especially for gaming," Mrs Vincent said.

Has your business found a creative way, like the Katherine Country Club, to keep business alive during the pandemic, let us know - tom.danks@katherinetimes.com.au or chris.mclennan@katherinetimes.com.au

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