Hospitality venues are worried about the extra work that may come with policing a new requirement for punters to sign in with the Covid-19 app.
The new Covid-19 order will require mandatory sign-in at places that regularly hold events or have gatherings, such as hospitality venues, healthcare facilities, gyms and libraries.
The new rules are enforceable within seven days of a region’s lockdown level dropping to where a pub or club can open.
Worksafe is the regulator of the new order but yesterday was waiting for detail about which businesses are captured.
The Worksafe media adviser pointed out the organisation had already prosecuted two businesses for not displaying the Covid-19 QR code.
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Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced on August 22 the new rules would apply to “busy places and large gatherings” seven days after an alert level change allowed more businesses to open. This could be Saturday week for some regions.
“We want to ensure businesses, and those who may be organising a gathering or event have time to get this sorted,” Hipkins said.
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Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins is giving updates daily on the latest Delta variant cases around the country.
“Our priority for mandatory record-keeping is locations where mask-wearing isn’t practical, for example where food and drink as being consumed, and where people gather in larger numbers. Experience here and abroad shows that these are the settings that prove the greatest challenge for contact tracers,” he said.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Government’s Covid-19 group said the obligation on businesses would be to have systems and processes in place to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that customers or visitors made a record.
“Businesses will not be required or expected to turn people away who may refuse to make a record of their visit, particularly if the person becomes aggressive or abusive. This will be at the discretion of the business. Guidance will be made available on the Unite Against Covid-19 website to support businesses’ compliance.”
STUFF
Despite having a confirmed case visit several popular locations not long before diagnosis, there were no Coromandel Covid cases on day six of lockdown.
Owner of Wellington strip club Dreamgirls Garth Rosson says he is frustrated with the Government’s treatment of small businesses.
“The paperwork and extra monitoring by Government of us because of its lack of trust in us takes time away from the business,” Rosson said.
"Everybody knows the Government didn't learn anything from last time and are ill-prepared and don't support small businesses like the Australian government has.”
He has worked in the sex industry for 20 years and currently has 25 staff on his books. He says some women working as dancers are “very concerned” about getting back to work but struggle to get government support to survive in the meantime.
“This mandatory signing in at my club is just another pressure on everyone and shows lack of trust or appreciation of what we do to keep operating,” Rosson said.
“It is getting harder and harder to run a small business.
“Some politicians should take a pay cut and come and work in the hospitality industry and see how hard it is to comply and sign in all the clients and customers and host our patrons, it is not easy.
"We are stressed, and the girls are stressed, and need to get back to work to earn a living without more pressure. We know this virus is serious, but we need to be trusted not pressured.
"This new rule puts more onus on us to comply with yet another layer of rules, and this is punitive and could send businesses under as it is just too hard. How is that going to help our workers?”
Owner of Rotorua’s Rotofobia Paddy Foley operates a steak house that has “escape rooms” where people book to have a fantasy style setting for their meal out.
Although he understands the extra level of responsibility for a business he doesn’t think a punitive approach to business is helpful.
“When I managed a video store and fines were there to discourage people returning them late I realised it was better to incentivise and reward return rather than punish,” he said.
“Government could sort out a reward system for businesses with vouchers for a business doing really well rather than policing and punishing, I don’t think that approach works.”
Manager of family-owned business The Barracks Sports Bar in Whanganui Kathryn Paul said she didn’t believe the new law should be “forced on us”.
The bar has the Covid QR code scanning poster in many places and also offers a paper sign-in sheet.
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Palmerston North ‘The Daily’ dance floor at The Daily at a previous Level 1.
“It is at the entrance to the building, the hallway, at entry to the bar and at the bar,” Paul said.
She and Rosson said they could not stop people writing false names, either.
“We can’t afford to have a staff member stop serving and waiting on customers to go and check everyone at entry, it is just not possible,” she said.
“Are we in hospitality, that are already closed and may have to have extra staff to wait on seated patrons, having to bring on more staff to monitor this, it seems unfair.”
Petrol stations, supermarkets and transport stations only need to record people who work at the premises.
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