Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Lotus-Heart restaurant in Christchurch still not following rules

A Christchurch restaurant that was fined $20,000 for failing to comply with Covid-19 requirements is still not following the rules.

In December, WorkSafe New Zealand said the Lotus-Heart failed to display signage signalling whether it requires My Vaccine Pass use or not in a prominent place, wasn't displaying a QR Code in a prominent place, and didn't have systems or processes to check My Vaccine Pass status of patrons.

The combined infringement notices total $20,000.

The restaurant has since reopened and a customer told the Herald when they visited on Wednesday, there were still no QR codes in place, no checks of vaccine passes or mask-wearing.

The customer was handed a membership application for the Lotus-Heart Private Contract Association.

They were told this meant they did not need to wear a mask, scan in or be vaccinated to enter the premises.

A form on the restaurant's website is then expected to be filled out so members can be added to their database.

A form on the restaurant's website is then expected to be filled out so members can be added to their database. Photo / Supplied

The customer said there were many people in the store at the time.

A WorkSafe spokesperson said it is continuing to look into the restaurant.

"WorkSafe will be revisiting to assess compliance. If the business is still non-compliant, WorkSafe may take further enforcement action, which can include further Infringement Notices, prosecution or closure of the business for up to 24 hours," they said.

When contacted by the Herald, a woman who said she was the restaurant's manager declined to comment.