Auckland hairdressers are preparing for a surge in customers when they are allowed to re-open on Friday, a week before businesses adjust to new requirements.
Auckland businesses are grappling with how they will manage using the app to scan vaccine passports on top of number and distancing restrictions next Friday.
But for Hairdressers they have got a week head start and will re-open this Friday.
At Head Start Total Body Salon in Glen Eden it is all hands on deck before their chairs will be full of customers desperate for a trim after almost four months.
It is a welcome suprise but not one that owner Simone Jones saw coming.
"Madness with clients ringing, I mean at the 4 o'clock news, my phone was pinging and as you can see today we've been on the phones. We've been here since 7 o'clock this morning and we're still trying to book clients now. "
They are honouring their earliest bookings and with just a month left they are having to say no to new clients.
It will take weeks of late nights and weekends to get through before Christmas.
They will be using the Vaccine Verifier app on Friday and because you can only download it on one device that will stay on an ipad in the salon so they can still answer calls.
Simone said they are doing all they can to prepare.
"We've been putting out posts on Facebook and Instagram, to try and get all our clients to get that vaccine pass on their phone to make it easy, had a few phone calls from daughters of some of their elderly clients, one our clients is 100. She is bringing in her vaccine pass on a piece of paper. "
But she would like to be able to accept just a vaccine card from regular clients.
"That to me would actually be okay I understand for restaurants because for fraud and things like that it could be easily done. But because we know Mrs Brown and we would trust that she has done the right thing, but evidently we're not allowed to accept that it has to be from the vaccine pass."
Photo: 123rf
For hospitality it is still a waiting game until next week.
At Vevo Cafe in Titirangi Jay Rana said they are still figuring out how they will run the scanning of passes.
"I'm not exactly sure how that is going to work but I'm guessing it's going to be at the door."
They have had many keen locals eager to sit down with their coffees but the restrictions will keep things pretty tight.
Retail has been back in the game for a few weeks but scanning vaccine passports is a new restrictions to add to the list.
Brenda Walters opened her homeware store The Joneses just before lockdown hit.
She chose to re-open this week to make sure they are prepared, so far everyone had obeyed the rules but she was nervous about the next step.
Especially if businesses have to take the brunt of customer abuse.
"People have had enough I find there's a lot of confusion. People don't know what to do or you know the rules feel like they're being changed all the time."
They will be dedicating a work phone for employees to use to scan people in.
While it seems clear what is required for retail she says it is anything but when it comes to her interior design business and if they will need vaccine passes.
