Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Businesses flout Covid rules

WorkSafe is speaking to 34 Northland businesses that allegedly breached Covid rules under levels 3 and 4. Photo / NZME

More than 560 alleged Covid breaches have been reported to Northland police and a further 52 to WorkSafe and about half of them opened when they potentially should not have been during the lockdown.

WorkSafe New Zealand has received almost 600 reports of the alleged breaches about businesses throughout the country since level 4 lockdown came into effect on August 18.

Reports came through both its own online notifications form and as referrals from the Unite Against Covid complaints form.

By yesterday morning, 52 Northland businesses were being spoken to regarding the alleged breaches but no charges had been laid.

"Almost half of the complaints actioned by WorkSafe were allegations of businesses opening when they potentially should not have been," WorkSafe national manager planning Marcus Nalter said.

He said the other main complaints were about mask use, physical distancing and overcrowding.

Northland police received 565 online notifications- 539 in alert level 4 and 26 in alert level 3- as of Wednesday morning. Of the alert level 4 breach notifications, 166 were about a business, 303 were about a gathering, and 70 were about a person.

Of the alert level 3 breach notifications, six were about a business, 17 were about a gathering, and three were about a person.

Most of the reports WorkSafe received were about Auckland-based businesses, followed by Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington. The region with the fewest reports referred to WorkSafe was Gisborne.

"For the most part, people are wanting to do the right thing in these challenging times, and we really commend those taking the right steps. Our approach has been first and foremost about educating those we receive complaints about and working with them to put safe systems in place to support their staff and their communities," Nalter said.

"Where we can't get this level of co-operation, and there are people deliberately flouting the rules and not displaying the right level of care, businesses can expect WorkSafe to consider enforcement".

Nalter said it was each business's responsibility to ensure they were legally able to operate under the different levels.

More information can be found at www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/operating-at-alert-levels/.

He also reminded businesses to ensure their alternative contract tracing systems for people who did not have the QR scanning app were easily accessible and to have record keeping in place for their staff as well.

"Get creative with implementing systems to encourage suitable physical distancing. Look at how the layout of your premises can be adjusted to best facilitate this."

Northland's Covid vaccination numbers have topped 141,000 as extra vaccines are on their way to New Zealand. There are still no positive cases of the Delta variant in Northland, which is enjoying alert level 2 with the rest of the country, excluding Auckland where most of the outbreak has been detected.

In Northland as of yesterday morning, 141,923 Covid vaccines had been administered of which 90,302 people have received their first dose and 51,621 both doses of the vaccine.

Nearly 3000 vaccinations were given and 378 tests done on Wednesday this week.

There were 13 new Covid cases in New Zealand, taking the total outbreak numbers to 868.
Thirty cases were unlinked and of the new cases, more than half are linked to the current outbreak.