Seated, Separated, Single Server - What Alert Level 2 Looks Like For Hospitality
May 07, 2020
The people of New Zealand have worked so hard, seen a rapid decrease in the number of live COVID-19 cases recently and with 93% of people recovered the future is looking bright. We still remain in Alert Level 3 however, on Wednesday 13th May at 11:59pm we will move to Alert Level 2 in a phased system. On Thursday 14th retail, malls, cafes, restaurants and other public places may open. From Monday 18th schools may reopen and finally from Thursday 21st bars and pubs will be able to reopen with all the requirements set out below. The Prime Minister has advised that bars will be the last to reopen as they pose the most risk for the spread of COVID-19.
At Alert Level 2, the emphasis is still on 'Playing it safe' and ensuring you still wash your hands and stay at home if you are feeling ill. However, we can leave our bubbles, reconnect with friends and family and all businesses can open if they can do so safely, helping people get back to work. We will be able to travel freely between regions and from Monday 18th tertiary education facilities, schools and early learning centres will be open.
Temporary limits on gathering numbers will be in place when we first move to Alert Level 2. Any gatherings like weddings, funerals and social situations can have up to 10 people. We can socialise and connect with close friends and family, again only in groups of 10.
So what does this mean for hospitality? At Alert Level 2 businesses can have up to 100 customers on premise if they have a contact tracing system in place to record everyone who you interact with and if they can maintain physical distancing of 1 metre between groups of customers. Hospitality businesses must be able to keep customers seated, separated and use a single server per table if possible. Hospitality businesses must also not take bookings of more than 10 people.
To find out more and check out the latest updates head to https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-2/
