Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Alert level decision day

Tauranga businesses that cannot open until level two are "really hoping" for an alert level change, saying it is "one step closer to normality".

Today the Government will decide if parts of New Zealand currently at level three will stay put or move. The announcement will be made at 4pm today after the alert level settings have been reviewed by Cabinet. Mount Maunganui F45 Training owner Brett Taylor said the fitness industry takes "a big hit" during lockdown.

"We're not like restaurants, where we can open during level three and provide something of a service. We have to wait for level two."

Taylor said a lot of members had found it "really hard" to stay motivated during lockdown and hoped the business could open "for their sake as well as ours".

Daily zoom sessions were available during lockdown, but Taylor said online classes were sometimes "not quite enough" for people to stay motivated.

"We don't get as many members [online] as we would through a normal class.

"It's that motivation - nothing quite beats a group class environment."

Mount Maunganui F45 Training owner Brett Taylor. Photo / supplied

Members were given the option to suspend their membership or continue to pay, he said.

"We try to do what we can to help our members because we know they'll be struggling through lockdown."

But at the same time we're a business, so we also need to try and make sure we can survive it as well," he said.

"A lot of them try to pay something but ... if they're not able to access the service properly, rightfully so, why should they have to pay at least full price or even a subsidy price?"

The Nail Lounge owner Katherine Bond said she hoped for "level two with compulsory masks".

The nail technician works by herself and said there was a "huge" backlog of clients.

"I do huge hours, extra hours and I'll work all throughout the weekend and the following week and do every late night to try and fit everybody back in."

Bond said the potential move to level two was "a bit overwhelming" but it was "one step closer to normality".

Leigh Bartosh, co-owner of the Annan-Pineapple pub in Te Puke, said lowering levels would be "beneficial" as it would mean "more people would be coming through the door rather than at the door".

Bartosh said click-and-collect takeaways would drop off if level three dragged out.

"We saw that last time ... The first week was a novelty, the second week was just like 'are we not back to level two yet?'"

"It's the smaller, family-owned and operated businesses that tend to hurt a little bit in the second week of level three.

"But with the way we're tracking, I can probably see it going to level two pretty quickly."

Miss Gee's bar owner Ashleigh Gee . Photo / supplied

Miss Gee's bar owner Ashleigh Gee said level two would be "ideal" and the "best-case scenario".

Gee said the bar had not been operating a takeaway service in level three but was trialling options to release "hopefully" next week.

"We're trying to put together a takeaway menu at the moment ... so if [level 3] does get extended at least we've got that going."

She would also look to continue a takeaway service in level two.

"Last time around there were a lot of people who were hesitant still about going out to restaurants and things like that."