Nothing to do with covid mandates. The CBD has been a ghost town for many years. Walk through the city or near the railway station after hours or on a weekend and you will find no more than a dozen people. Ten of who want to bash you or abuse you and the other two sleeping in doorways or rifling through rubbish bins.
The whole city has been badly planned and anyone that wants to be a bit innovative is shut down. Contrast that to Fremantle which is crowded each day and a hive of entertainment and life on weekends.
