Covid-19: In level 4, what can businesses do to prepare for re-opening?

Monday, 30 August 2021

Business owners preparing to re-open in alert level 3 can visit their premises to set up social distancing requirements, the Government says.

The news comes after days of uncertainty for many hospitality business owners who, with no news specific to them, assumed they were not allowed to visit their business under alert level 4 unless under essential circumstances.

Some hospitality and trade businesses will re-open in limited capacity as everywhere outside Auckland and Northland moves to alert level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

On Monday, a Ministry of Business, Immigration and Employment (MBIE) spokesperson told Stuff a person or business could visit their premises prior to an alert level change, to re-organise it to meet alert level 3 requirements.

**READ MORE:

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**

While the rule wasn’t clear from the outset, it was good to finally have some clarity, Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said.

“It’s important to know. We will be encouraging our members to visit if they need to,” she said.

Prior to the clarification, the association was encouraging its members to organise from home, and to not visit their premises while in alert level 4.

Tristin Anderson. of Smokey T’s low and slow American BBQ in Christchurch, was on site on Monday.

Anderson was setting up his premises to work in alert level 3, including ordering face masks and gloves for his staff. Smokey T’s is doing click and collect and contactless deliveries in level 3.

He said he felt “super organised” and would start cooking meat as soon as 11.59pm Tuesday ticked over, with orders already streaming in.

A staff induction at 8am on Wednesday will go over all the necessary safety protocols.

“We’re really looking forward to feeding the community again.”

A survey of more than 400 of the Restaurant Association’s members revealed that just over half (56 per cent) were unsure or would not re-open at alert level 3.

Central Christchurch bar OGB would not re-open in alert level 3, proprietor Nick Inkster said.

The bar was focussed on “old school hospitality” and serving its customers face to face, meaning operating a takeaway service didn’t make sense, he said.

“It’s also just not worth it for us in terms of cost over revenue.”

Steve Logan, owner of Logan Brown restaurant in Wellington, said it was unlikely they would open in alert level 3, unless it was extended for a long period of time.

“It takes a lot for us to shift to deliveries. We did it last time, and it needs a lot of prep,” he said.

“The effort is just not worth it over the short term.”

The circumstances were changing fast and it was unclear how long each alert level would last, contributing to the uncertainty, Logan said.