More creativity and consistency from the government could create a less rocky ride through the lockdown rollercoaster for hospitality and entertainment businesses, operators say.
An aerial view shows people gathered inside painted circles on the grass encouraging social distancing at Dolores Park in San Francisco, California, 22 May. Photo: AFP
Cafes creating perspex surrounds for each table, glass greenhouses in restaurants, or audience seating divided into cubes with scaffolding - since the start of coronavirus pandemic businesses worldwide have been finding new ways to work more safely. A group of Auckland business operators have told Morning Report that now is the time for the government to take a closer look at the rules and supports to create more opportunities for businesses struggling to stay above water in the constrictive environment here.
Even when the city does go back to alert level 2, theatres are only allowed up to 10 people in one room at a time.
"We're in limbo, we're effectively a suspended industry at the moment, we can't operate at 10 people, and we don't know when we'll be able to restart," says Jonathan Bielski, Auckland Theatre chief executive.
Jonathan Bielski Photo: Supplied / Andi Crown Photography
"We support the elimination strategy the government has, we understand why this is important, but we do think there's a way of staging live events in a way that is safe and we can develop protocols to do that.
"Our industry is an innovation sector, this is what we do all the time, we're always creating new thinking. Going to a show is not an uncontrolled random happening, it's managed to a very high degree with allocated seating, we know where people are and which door they've come in and where they sit, it's a very safe environment."
Smaller sized audiences, masks, managed entry, keeping the audience separate and reduced queues could all be done, he said.
Cafe owner Aaron Carson said ideas for a subsidy specifically aimed at hospitality were being floated in the UK and should be discussed here, too.
"I think they need to get creative about how they do it... half the meal paid for could help drag the people out. "
An LA cafe is using greenhouse dining pods to encourage social distancing. Photo: RNZ
He believed the lockdown restrictions were the right way to fight the virus; "I don't see any alternative really, but it's pretty hard to deal with."
"I think one of the big things people aren't really looking at is that level 2 is going to be where it's actually really tough; everyone's weathered level 3 and 4 lockdowns, but my pick is that level 2 could be quite lengthy this time, and there are no wage subsidies in that situation.
"Restaurateurs are in a situation where they have to have 50 percent of the tables they normally have in the room, but the same number of staff unless they make redundancies, so I think that's where it's going to get really tough.
A waiter in Florence with a "buchetta del vino", a small window used to serve wine. As 16th-century Florentines dropped like flies to the plague, survivors drowned their fears in wine, passed to them through the windows which are enjoying a revival during the coronavirus. Photo: AFP
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White said many businesses in the sector were in survival mode and bracing for the ripple effect of Auckland's level 3 lockdown being extended until Sunday night, before it joins the rest of the country in alert level 2 on Monday for at least another week.
It's not just in Auckland; her organisation has estimated 10 percent of hospitality businesses across the country are likely to have to shut up shop.
Spectators at an open air concert in Cologne, Germany, sit within social distancing markings in July. Photo: AFP / NurPhoto
Creating more consistency across the lockdowns would help businesses plan their way through, said Chand Sahrawat, who runs high end restaurants Sidart, Cassia and The French Cafe.
"We'd like to know; if this is going to happen again, what kind of support are we guaranteed from the government? Getting into a level 3 lockdown and being told after three or four days: 'oh there is a wage subsidy, it is for two weeks' - it just does not help us with planning for the future.
"It doesn't give us any certainty for how much we should be saving in the next level 1, preparing for a next level 4 or 3 - how many times are we going to yoyo?"
"It's getting progressively tougher and tougher. The wage subsidy does help us, but the wage subsidy only goes towards paying a certain proportion of salaries, we still have overheads like the rent, electricity. Even closing down costs us money, so whatever savings we have are progressively getting depleted."
Carson agrees. "People are fine with change, they're just not fine with continued change.
"It's difficult without a crystal ball, but some kind of consistency around how we deal with things and some support for small businesses would be great."
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
