Melbourne businesses and business advocates are fuming with the lord mayor over her suggestion COVID-19 was good for the city.

Sally Capp will today give a TEDx talk describing the ways the city has benefitted from the pandemic.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, Paul Guerra, says Councillor Capp’s sentiment isn’t one felt by the community.

“I don’t think there’d be a single business-owner who’d even remotely think COVID has been good,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“There was nothing good about the COVID period. People died, people got sick, our lives changes, businesses collapsed, and I’ve got to tell you, it was bloody scary.”

Press PLAY to hear Mr Guerra’s scathing reaction to Sally Capp’s comments

Owner of CBD bar, Whisky and Alement, Julian White, has also blasted the “incredibly insensitive” comments.

“We were planning to open another venue that was similar to our one here in Melbourne up in Sydney in 2020 and we would have done that but all the cash that had been saved up for that just went back into paying wages, into trying to pivot,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Press PLAY below to hear Mr White’s response to the lord mayor

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