'It's been murder': regulars flock back to Sydney pubs and bars as Covid-19 lockdowns ease

Locals and owners alike suffered during restrictions, gaining new-found appreciation for the importance of community

Ken Bartholomew takes another drag of his cigarette as he waits for his friend outside the Forest Lodge Hotel in Sydney’s inner-west. Bartholomew, who has lived in the area for 75 years, has been a regular patron of the pub since he was 15.

But his weekly pool games with friends at the Forest Lodge Hotel – or ‘The Flodge’, as it is known to many – stopped two months ago when the pub was forced to shut its doors due to the state government’s coronavirus restrictions.