Northern Territory businesses hit hard by the current wave of coronavirus cases will receive some financial relief, with the NT government announcing "one-off" grants to employers and sole operators.
It comes amid a period one business owner says is the worst throughout the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases climb towards a predicted peak and heavy rainfall elsewhere in the country triggers temporary local food shortages.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the assistance would be available to businesses that can demonstrate a 40 per cent reduction in turnover in December 2021 or January 2022 compared to the same period two years earlier.
Those entrepreneurs will be eligible for a one-off payment of $3,000 while sole traders can receive $1,000.
Businesses have also been promised a 30 per cent cut to their utility bills and a waiver of their payroll tax for the first three months of the year.
"This does not cover every single cost — it's not meant to," Mr Gunner said during a coronavirus update on Friday.
"It's a bit of help right now to get through this.
"At the end of the day, what these businesses need is people, and I'm confident that with each day, as we keep managing COVID in the community and getting more comfortable with safely moving about, customers will be back."
Bhairab Yogi, who runs a restaurant in the central Darwin suburb of Stuart Park, welcomed the assistance as "amazing".
He said after performing well at the end of 2020, his outlet had gone on to suffer as customers were driven indoors amid high levels of coronavirus transmission in the community.
"This has been like a really bad nightmare," he said.
"All the businesses are feeling the pinch.
He said the new support measures would make business owners feel like they had not been left to fend for themselves.
The Darwin City Council also announced a business support measure this week in the return of myDarwin vouchers, which offer discounts on local spending.
The NT government has previously announced several rounds of business support throughout the pandemic, including grants to help businesses comply with restrictions and vouchers to boost tourism spending.
