William Poh is a Chinese migrant who arrived in Australia from Singapore in 1973.
His souvenir shop in the once-bustling commercial hub of Sydney’ s Haymarket is stacked with koala and kangaroo toys.
“Our business has dropped by 80 per cent,” the 74-year-old told SBS News.
“The duty-free shop depends on the tourists. Without the tourists, how can we survive?
“At night, Dixon Street is completely dead, there are not even people walking. [It’s a] very hard time, very hard time.” 
A bustling Dixon Street during Lunar New Year in January, before coronavirus hit. Source: AAP
Australia closed its borders to Chinese travellers in February in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. Other countries including Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Italy imposed similar travel restrictions on the country.
“Most of our customers are from mainland China. I have three business partners and they are all young and worried for their future,” Mr Poh said.
The retail business has thrived for more than 25 years in Chinatown and Mr Poh is shocked by the impact of the travel bans.
“I have never seen it like this, never in my life. Since I came to Australia 50 years ago, I have never seen this sort of thing happen before.
“For business, it’s getting worse and worse, and the Australian economy might still take three or four years to recover.
“We need help, we need the government to support us so we can survive.”
Under Jobkeeper, the federal government has been supporting businesses by providing a fortnightly payment of $1,500 to eligible employees, but this will finish on 27 September. Other assistance measures have also been provided.
A 1910 advertisement for the Kwong War Chong store at 84 Dixon Street. Source: The Chinese Australian Herald / State Library of NSW.
Asther Lam owns a food emporium on Dixon Street and revenue is falling.
“We have almost 70 per cent vacancy at the moment, which is really the emptiest time in 29 years,” she said.
Ms Lam migrated to Australia from Hong Kong in 1989 as a university student and is sad to see the vibrant hub almost empty.
“It’s like a ghost town. Even me, I don’t want to stay here. I just come here to work, and after work, I drive home. It’s very bad.”
Chinatown was established in the Sydney suburb of Haymarket more than a century ago, and many are fighting to save the historic precinct.
Last month, the City of Sydney heritage-listed a three-storey terrace on Dixon Street which, it says, "represents the historic Edwardian character of the Haymarket area".
The heritage committee has described the now vacant brick building as "highly significant for its rarity" due to a long association with Sydney’s Chinese migrant communities.
"The building was continually used by a Chinese-Australian owned and operated retail business from its construction in 1909 until 2017", material from a 2019 committee report says.
Simon Chan is President of the Haymarket Chamber of Commerce. Source: SBS
Sydney’s Chinatown is also Australia’s largest of its kind and its lively eating strip is a popular destination for 2.6 million annual visitors, including many Chinese travellers.
“Chinatown is the third-highest ranked [destination] among tourists coming to Sydney after the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House,” said Simon Chan, president of the Haymarket Chamber of Commerce.
But even before Australia closed its borders, diners and shoppers had deserted the retail hub as news of the coronavirus pandemic spread.
As the financial year comes to an end, Chinatown’s diverse food vendors are writing down huge losses.
Restaurateur Junda Khoo owns Malaysian eatery Ho Jiak, which once seated 800 patrons each day. He has taken out a loan to keep the doors open.
“We've already lost $250,000 in the last three months,” he said.
“We're not going to make money [this year] because first, we have to recoup the $250,000 that we’ve lost. It will probably take six months to a year to recoup our losses.”
Daigo Kani runs Sushi Rio in Hay Street. Source: SBS
Daigo Kani runs a popular Japanese restaurant on Hay Street called Sushi Rio. While some customers are returning as gathering restrictions ease, he says he’s lost most of his staff.
“Ninety per cent of them went back to Japan because they were on a working holiday, or were working students,” he said.
Mr Chan said while many businesses are "quite resilient, we will all have to be patient because this is not going to be over anytime soon”.
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