Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More

Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 

Phase 3 Pragmatic Move For Hospitality

A move to Phase 3 of the Government’s Omicron response would be good news for the hospitality industry, as it will allow staff to keep working, and customers enjoy getting out.

Hospitality NZ CEO Julie White says pressure is on for the shift, as the definition of a close contact and a week-long isolation period is keeping mounting numbers of staff and customers unnecessarily at home.

“The rules are having a devastating multiplier effect, turning the thousands of people with Covid into tens of thousands of well or asymptomatic people stuck at home.

“The rules are unsustainable with rapid spread of Omicron because they are making up to 100% of staff ineligible to work and exacerbating already low numbers of staff.”

The sector had very recently been allowed to work out its own definitions of close contacts on a case by case basis.

Julie White says while a Phase shift is welcome, it is only one of the tools for recovery. Another tool is financial support to get through the Omicron wave, and the narrow eligibility of the package announced on Monday still needs to be fixed.

“After our urgent objections, we are now cautiously optimistic that the Government did not intend to restrict the eligibility so tightly and will fix it by the time applications open this Monday,” she says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.