On August 12, after more than 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, Auckland moved to alert level 3 and the rest of New Zealand to level 2. Video / Will Trafford
"My heart sank and my immediate thought was that for thousands of businesses in Auckland, this is going to be destructive and confusing," says Auckland Chamber of Commerce head Michael Barnett.
"They're just in rebuild, they're low on reserves, they're low in confidence, and now they have to face thisagain," Barnett told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning, just hours before the city returns to level 3 lockdown until midnight Friday.
"The big thing, I think, is that if there is a plan, I'd like to see [the government] give us that plan, not just leak it out piecemeal. They've had four months to do this. I'd like them to give us the plan quickly, so businesses can respond quickly," Barnett said.
No-one he has spoken to believes the re-introduced lockdown will end on midday Friday, the CEO said.
"If the government is going to help us if it goes beyond three days, signal to us early," says Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett. Photo / File
He did not think going into lockdown again was an over-reaction, but he also had fears around future outbreaks, or even if the return to level 3 extends beyond Friday.
"If it goes beyond the three days, I think it's going to be devastating for the economy," Barnett said.
"Only 40 per cent of businesses were back to 100 per cent, and about 30 per cent of them were back to about 75 per cent [of pre-lockdown business levels]. So it's weak and fragile. What we need to do is communicate and make sure we have a good plan and that we manage it well. Otherwise, the cost to the economy and the community is going to be high."