Covid 19 coronavirus: Wellington's back to work footpath etiquette explained

Wellington City Council is urging people to "keep left" as they head back to work. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

Alert level 2 is not the time to catch up on your hundreds of ignored lockdown emails while on a mid-morning coffee run down Lambton Quay or The Terrace.

If your head is buried in the depths of your mobile phone, you risk a public shaming for falling out of line with the "keep left" footpath etiquette.

That's right, there's an etiquette, a protocol, a good-mannered way to navigate the footpaths.

Wellington City Council is urging those returning to work in the capital to maintain physical distancing by keeping left.

After weeks of quieter streets and footpaths in alert levels 3 and 4, the sudden traffic and presence of other Wellingtonians dressed in various shades of black could catch people off guard.

So the three things you need to remember when walking on the footpath are: stay on the left-hand side of the footpath, where possible walk on the footpath on the left-hand side of the road to which you are facing, and stay alert.

So no looking at your mobile phone if possible please. Not even to gaze upon your latest Tinder match and therefore potential future life partner.

Wellington's footpath etiquette has a striking resemblance to the road code really.

Now it may be that in some areas of town you need to rearrange and snap into single file.

For example, Stewart Dawson's corner at the intersection of Willis St and Lambton Quay is a sidestepping dance at the best of times.

Don't even think about checking the MetService app on your phone for details on southerly wind strengths when entering this intersection.

Queues could also present a challenge on the footpath, whether people are waiting to use the ATM machine, or to get their third extra hot soy milk double shot latte that morning.

So, queue parallel to the footpath please. The last thing we want is a giant clog of people to ruin the etiquette everyone is trying so hard to observe.

The city council will also be monitoring intersections where people usually stand shoulder to shoulder and use their magical powers to increase crossing times at controlled intersections so people can maintain physical distance.

It's important to note all this mindfulness of the capital's footpath etiquette could result in it taking more time for you to move from A to B.

So plan ahead, because lunch will not be a dash, but rather a calm and measured physically-distanced walk on the left-hand side of the footpath.

If any of this footpath etiquette is still not abundantly clear to you, never fear.

The council has installed footpath "decals", more commonly known as stickers, to remind you to STAY LEFT.