Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Excitement and stress as businesses open in Level 2

A gym owner is worried new level 2 restrictions may see his businesses shut for good.

Other Bay health and personal care businesses reopening under level 2 report bookings for weeks or months.

After three weeks of closed doors, hairdressers, barbers, gyms, nail salons and tattoo parlours can open as of today under strict guidelines.

Hairdressers, barbers and staff at businesses providing personal care services must wear a face covering and keep 2 metres apart from clients, except for when close physical contact is needed, according to the official Covid-19 website.

Indoor sports facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, dance studios and health clubs can open but also need to stick to the 2-metre rule, clean equipment after use, and wear face masks unless exercising.

Caged Kickboxing and Muay Thai co-owner Chris Leigh said his gym financially had about two more months, and then it would go for good.

The 2-metre distance and masks were an "impossibility" for the 250sq m gym, and it could not open under current level 2 restrictions.

"I thought we'd put all this work in to actually get somewhere. It's not really fair."

He said it was "not a typical gym" as they taught not only self-defence but self-respect in the tight-knit community of 50 members.

He said though the business had made it through last year, he thought it was likely it would need to shut for good.

The gym was a non-profit that didn't make money or fundraise, relying on people to pay their fees.

Leigh and his business partner both work fulltime and took no money out of the gym, he said.
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"We don't do it for the money."

"Basically, the gym's got two more months, then we'll be closing up ... last time we managed to bounce back, but this time, I'm not sure."

The business partners worked their way up from eight years in a shed to a year at a storage unit before they moved to the building they are in now, splitting the rent to be able to afford it.

"We're not begging for help ... if it goes, it goes and then we just try again."

MOKO 101 co-owner Phillipa Mohi said the business was currently rescheduling and booking clients, with a backlog that will take about two months to get through.

She owns the studio with her husband, ta moko artist Hohua, and said the couple would re-open on Monday, giving them time to set everything up to work at level 2.

As well as all the Government regulations they would be following, there would be no Moko Kanohi for men or women — which there had been an influx in demand for.

This was due to the close face-to-face contact and travelling to clients which might be needed.

"These particular jobs, family are allowed to come, and sometimes it's not just 50 people ... we can't say no to all the whānau that want to come and support that person."

MOKO 1010 ta moko artist Hohua Mohi last year. Photo / File

The couple and all their staff and apprentices have been vaccinated — which they advertised on their social media, she said.

"Just to assure our clients."

Jenny's Beauty Spot was already booked out this week and owner Jenny Zhong said the backlog would be at least two weeks as she got through her regular clients.

Eyelash extensions and laser treatments for skin pigmentation or hair removal were the most in-demand services.

She said her regular clients were "like family" and she was prioritising their needs before taking on new clients.

Lockdown had been anything but a break for her with new equipment and products coming in, and she had worked through the three weeks to train up.

Service Skills Centre hairdresser and tutor Stacey Murray said being able to open up was "exciting and daunting".

"To think of a 10-hour day with a mask on is quite daunting ... but I'm excited to get out the house ... back to some kind of normality."

She said this year, level 2 would be different with clients needing to wear masks.

"Clients are willing to do anything at this point ... they just want to get their hair done."

Murray only worked twice a week, the salon was large and there were only two staff, which she said was lucky.

However, to get through the backlog, she would be working on Saturdays, and all her late nights were booked up until the end of the year.

Colouring, retouches and getting rid of greys were the top priorities for clients, and there had only been one case in lockdown where a client turned ginger after trying to use a supermarket dye.

Profiles Rotorua gym owner Simon Chisholm said though the business was "rapt" to be back, level 2 was "a tough place to be", especially for members.

The gym had systems and processes, particularly around hygiene, in place after last year.
Moving the equipment was "unrealistic" given the small space gyms had in general.

Some cardio machines were turned off to do what they could to keep everyone safe.

Chisholm said the 2-metre rule was almost an "unachievable task" given the amount of space in gyms, and they were asking members to use common sense.

Level 2 was "hard", with members who were not regular gym-goers cancelling memberships as the restrictions made it not worth them, he said.

The maximum of 50 people indoors would be challenging to manage and they were lucky to have had an app developed to monitor bookings for things like group classes.

"We just have to have common sense ... we just have to have each other's backs."