Covid 19 coronavirus: Keeping Auckland at 'level 2.5' right, Goff says, businesses worried

Mayor Phil Goff says the Government's decision to keep Auckland at a so-called Covid-19 alert level 2.5 is the right one and is asking city residents to keep playing their part in following the rules.

Hospitality and Auckland city centre business groups have also acknowledged the need to protect people's health but say the extra 10 days under tight restrictions will hurt already struggling shops, restaurants and bars.

They hope the Government can now set out improved guidelines for how New Zealand will respond to future outbreaks that allow business to plan better for interruptions to trade.

Goff is urging Aucklanders to stay the course.

"Aucklanders can be proud of the success we have had so far in constraining the second outbreak of Covid-19, and I thank them for the sacrifices they have made to achieve that," he said.

"But it's crucial that we stay the course. While we are all looking forward to level 1, the last thing we want is to move too early and risk a further resurgence of the virus."

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has backed ongoing restrictions in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell

"That would be the worst outcome."

Goff said not only would an early loosening of restrictions endanger the health and safety of Aucklanders - including some of the most vulnerable - it would also further damage businesses and the economy.

"I urge everyone to continue following the rules: wear a mask when on public transport and in other situations where physical distancing is difficult, keep up with good hygiene practices like hand-washing, and track your movements with the NZ Covid Tracer app."

"Doing so will keep yourself and others safe, and will help get us back to level 1, with the extra freedoms and resumption of business activity that entails."

Marisa Bidois, the chief executive of the Restaurant Association, said the hospitality sector was disappointed with 10 more days at a so-called level 2.5 but had been expecting it.

Auckland restaurants had for the last few weeks of level 3 restrictions been trading 60 per cent down in revenue.

"It has picked up a little now Auckland has moved into 2.5, but on average for the whole country, revenue is down around 35 to 40 per cent," Bidois said.

She said restaurants had made a strong bounceback after the first lockdown.

"It took us a little while to gain momentum but by July we were seeing some very solid numbers," she said.

"It was almost up to where we were at the same time last year in July, and some people were even trading above average for that time of the year."

"There was a good strong bounceback that was off the back of the school holidays where people were out travelling and spending a bit of money domestically."

However, the plunge back into lockdown had put a major dampener on that good news and restaurants once again had their backs against the wall.

Bidois said her association was meeting with the Government's Treasury department next week in the hope of negotiating targeted assistance for the sector.

"Despite contributing more than $11 billion to the economy and employing over 133,000 people nationwide, there has not been any targeted support for the industry through the pandemic to date," the association said in a recent press release.

It is calling on the Government to adopt its Dine out to help out scheme, based on an initiative in the United Kingdom.

In the UK, the Government there is footing 50 per cent of a customer's bill for any meal eaten at a cafe, restaurant or pub between Monday and Wednesday until the end of August.

Viv Beck, from Heart of the City, representing businesses in inner Auckland, said city centre businesses understood the need to look after people's health, but worried about the new restrictions.

"The reality is an extended period in a restricted trading environment has a big impact on businesses," Beck said.

Beck said business had bounced back amid the positive atmosphere after the first successful lockdown but were hit hard by the suddenness of the recent lockdown where Auckland moved from alert level 1 into tight restrictions by midday the next day.

For businesses, such as restaurants, who had been building up their stock to cope with increased demand in July, it meant a lot of perishable food went to waste.

Beck would like to see the Government learn from its experiences to tighten the border clamp on Covid-19 and improve the speed and efficiency of its contact tracing.

Lockdowns should be treated as a last resort rather than yo-yoing in and out of them, she said.