Main streets of Sydney's CBD are basically a 'ghost town'

Sky News Business Reporter Ed Boyd says it hasn't been the best start of the year for consumer confidence.

Mr Boyd spoke of the impact of the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant across the east coast of Australia.

"I live in Sydney and you go through the main streets of the CBD and it's basically a ghost town at the moment," Mr Boyd told Sky News Australia.

[alexo]

A classic example of a society living in government and media driven fear

[EL-FUKKO]

I'm sick of being treated like a criminal every time I want to go shopping.
Monitoring somebodies every movement when they leave the house is how we treat criminals on parole

[leonidassparta]

Exactly what big tech wanted. Everyone shop online.

[timmydlookatme]

How has unemployment fallen through this? Industries wiped out, months of lockdowns, how?
Fudging the figures?

[shanebraund]

Happening in Melb too. All by design there is no recovery.

[micromaid]

FEAR!!! Fear manufactured by government and media and the push to discriminate.

[donotcomply]

But... But I thought we had 90% vaccinated? Where is everyone?

[Jenfromtheblock]

How can the unemployment rate be low, when there's no staff!. Wth is this dude talking about? They must think the public are stupid.. why do they spin such BS🤨

[watchmanofthenight]

And don’t forget to get your third booster as reports are coming out that the fourth booster is ineffective against omicron.

[mig]

It's all due to Novak infecting all of Australia 😉

[peterrozowsky]

Well. Things got a little more Orwellian! Hong Kong just announced 2000 hamster's 🐹 will be culled because they have covid 19. That's setting a new standard?

[naturallyaspirated]

How about y’all report on your governments actions that caused this. Do not comply.

[jennyohara]

Pay the Rich Pharma corporations more Morrison..drive us into a Bankrupt Banana Republic

[jessekoch]

Real unemployment is more like 17% according to real data.

[diannemorris]

Here in Wollongong, it is a ghost town, but go out to Dapto or Albion Park and it is a different story.

[andrewwhite]

Stay home only if you have cold symptoms.
Your better off enduring Omicron than constantly trying to avoid it with the anxiety these actions bring.

[dominicpelle]

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT AFTER 36 NSWwelshmen DIED THE DAY BEFORE.. from the sniffles.

[jordywatson]

Oh well, we needed to let it rip and best it's done in summer, we need the natural immunity proven far superior as vaccines are not slowing the spread and in fact doing the opposite, no wonder they are not fully approved

[stoneycc]

Looking at the CBD streets to see what the economy looks like is pathetic. Office jobs are now done at home. That means that all the small businesses IN the CBD area will no longer have any customers and risk going belly up. Don't hold your breath for the economy to "bounce back" It is collapsing. The Australian Dollar itself is now in a bear market.

New jobs have not been created. There are no NEW jobs in the job listing sites. Businesses DO have the employees but they have been told to sit and wait. Some businesses will milk the government for all the handouts they can get before they get their employees to return to work. IF THERE ARE NO NEW BUSINESSES OPENING UP THERE IS NO NEW JOBS!!! simple as that. ALSO Businesses DO NOT HIRE when inflation is going up. Inflation means that their operating costs also go up and that takes out the money needed to hire new workers.

This is why you NEVER invest or make business decisions based on what you heard some "expert" (that is really just an employee) say on TV. If you do, you will lose money or risk making a very bad business decision.

[nealm]

Oh boy, there seems to be a shift in the narrative this week.