The owner of Abracadabria Cafe and Bar Alina Chourasia. 25 November, 2022. Rotorua Daily Post photograph by Mead Norton
Rotorua business operators are steeling themselves for the next few months, battling rising costs, staff sickness and a shortage of workers as a medical expert says there was “no question” the country was experiencing a third wave of Covid-19 cases.
One owner says this year has been the hardest yet as she also grappled with last-minute cancellations due to people testing positive, and she said another lockdown would be “devastating”.
Meanwhile, an event organiser says the last two years had prepared them for any significant outbreak, and they were “ready to press go” on this summer’s events.
The latest Ministry of Health figures showed case numbers in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes areas jumped in the two weeks to November 20.
Bay of Plenty cases climbed from 442 between October 1 and 7 to 669 between November 15 and 20. In Rotorua, cases rose from 225 between October 1 and 7 to 343 between November 15 and 20.
There were 2327 cases reported in the Bay of Plenty in October. This month, up to November 20, there were 2020 cases.
In the Lakes area, there were 1180 cases reported in October. Up to November 20, there were 988 cases.
So far this year there have been 85,983 reported cases in the Bay of Plenty and another 38,636 in the Lakes area.
Alina Choufasia, who with her husband Shail owns Rotorua cafe and bar Abracadabra and The Strawhouse Cafe in Taupō, said this year had brought extra difficulty, having to cope with Covid ‘s impacts and rising costs as well as large bookings being cancelled at the last minute due to someone in the group testing positive.
“It was quite challenging during the previous two lockdowns, but this year had definitely been the hardest year for us and currently we have two staff off with Covid at our Rotorua business.
“Another lockdown would be devastating, but fortunately we have two businesses so at least we can bounce one off the other a little bit.”
Alina said there was no doubt many small businesses were struggling with staff shortages due to Covid illness despite international tourists and domestic visitors returning.
“How we manage if there was another big surge in Covid cases really depends on what restrictions the Government puts on us. For us, the problem is we have different dining areas and the rules can be quite unclear.
“To be honest it’s quite horrible not to be in full control of your business, and another lockdown does not bear thinking about. But you have to stay positive and carry on as best you can.”
Gregg Brown, owner of Capers Cafe and Store and Pig and Whistle, said it had been tough for the past two years due to the impacts of Covid and rising costs.
“Fortunately, we have been able to maintain our staffing levels and it’s all about us holding it together and doing as much as we can to manage whatever comes.”
Brown, who is also a Rotorua Lakes councillor, said it was “hard” to operate a contactless takeaway service and/or delivery service as they didn’t have the equipment to do so, and it was not a “very profitable” way to run the business.
He said the impact of another wave of cases and potential lockdown would depend on a number of factors, including what support there was from the Government.
Brown also said he would not like to see a return of the mask-wearing mandate as he believed it should be left up to personal choice.
Last month the Government changed Covid-19 response legislation to remove its powers to implement lockdowns, vaccine mandates and managed isolation or quarantine. It kept the ability to require positive cases to isolate for seven days, mask use in some healthcare settings and to set conditions for those travelling to New Zealand.
Another lockdown would require new legislation and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said at the time this was “highly unlikely”. He said some options had been retained if another wave of the virus occurred.
University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker urged people to be cautious over summer.
“Right now the [Ministry of Health] figures are telling us that we are in the third wave of the pandemic, there is no question about it. It’s just that this wave is not as steep or as abrupt as the two previous Omicron ones.”
Baker said there was also an increasing number of people being reinfected, not all positive cases were reported and not everybody was having their third and fourth doses of the vaccine.
“It’s really important people keep up-to-date with their vaccinations, and self-report their positive Covid tests so we have a clearer picture of our infection rates.”
Baker also urged people to vigilant about wearing masks when visiting places that were not well-ventilated, as well as aged care facilities and other vulnerable people, and said he would like to see the return of the mask-wearing mandate on public transport.
Bay Dreams organiser Mitch Lowe said in the event of another significant outbreak over the summer, they have health and safety plans in place.
“We have learned so much about Covid in the past two years and we are ready to press go in the event of any significant outbreak. We feel pretty agile now we have figured out what we need to do to respond to another outbreak to ensure we met our health and safety obligations.”
Lowe said in the event of a sudden surge in Covid cases and changes to social restrictions, they had the ability to contact every event attendee within an hour by email, text message or social media platforms.
Rotorua Chamber head Bryce Heard said he thought residents had done pretty well in terms of doing the right things, including wearing masks and social distancing.
“We all need to take the necessary precautions and get on with our lives, and don’t panic about what might happen.”
Restaurant Association of NZ chief executive Marisa Bidois said the biggest issue was access to skilled labour.
“More Covid cases among our workforce create more staff shortages, which is a concern as we head into our busiest season.
“The summer season is an incredibly important time of year for our businesses. With the last two years of subdued trading, it’s more important than ever that hospitality is able to operate at full capacity to recoup some of the losses, but we haven’t been able to do that this year.”
Gary Lees, emergency response director at Lakes Te Manawa Taki, said Te Whatu Ora was monitoring Covid-19 case numbers in the Lakes District and had reinstated a weekly incident management team meeting to “ensure all parts of our response are co-ordinated”.
“We are prepared to manage a surge in cases and our staff are familiar with the systems that have been in place over the last couple of years.”
These include their Covid testing capacity; making changes in the hospitals to manage a raise in Covid-related hospitalisations; making changes to the visitor policy to keep patients, staff and visitors safe; and working regionally to support each other, he said.
“We have good supplies of tests, PPE and vaccines in stock and the national stockpile of all of these is substantial and will cope with an increase in demand.
“Our community can support these plans and keep people out of hospital by ensuring they are up-to-date with all the Covid vaccinations they are eligible for.”
Lees said summer was a time of year when there were more large-scale events and family gatherings and potential risks of infection.
“We each need to have a plan. Including self-isolation plans and practising good hygiene, staying at home and taking a Rat [test] if feeling unwell, and self-reporting positive tests.” He also encouraged people to wear a mask when with vulnerable whānau.
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