Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Day one of traffic light system kicks off, as people urged to stick to the rules

Day one of the new traffic light system has finally arrived and for Aucklanders, the chance to head to the gym or out for a meal with friends - albeit with that now all-important vaccine pass.

It was a particularly great start to the weekend for hospitality business owners in the city, who dusted off tables and opened their doors to customers again after more than 100 days in a strict Covid-19 lockdown.

Britomart bistro Ortolana duty manager Ella Xue said she was ecstatic to be back in business this morning.

"I'm actually very excited. Last night I was hoping today was going to be a smash day."

About 30 people had been through by 8am, all with their vaccine passes.

All customers' passes were scanned upon entry and no one had expressed any frustration with the process so far, she said.

Friends Isabelle, Alan and Steve enjoy a coffee at Ortolana at Britomart, downtown Auckland, this morning. Photo / Michael Craig

Regular customers Isabelle, Alan and Steve said it was fantastic to be back to their usual spot.

"We'll definitely come here and help the business. We feel for the cafe," Alan said.

All said the vaccine pass process was smooth. Both Isabelle and Steve had cited issues with getting their vaccine pass from the ministry, which had been struggling to service the huge demand for vaccine passes in recent days.

Some people hit the town at the strike of midnight, when some Auckland pubs decided to open their doors.

Headquarters bar owner Leo Molloy told Three's AM Show about 50-80 people came into the bar within the first 40 minutes of opening last night.

He said things went smoothly but cited some design flaws with the scanning process, saying it could be very slow at times.

"It's very slow, if the host phone has an impediment of any description, if it's greasy, if the light's not up right, if there's a crack in the screen, it could slow you down hugely."

He said he had bought four devices to scan people's vaccination passes and would buy half a dozen more to try and speed up the process.

About 350 people had booked in for lunch and he expected a further 300 people as walk-ins.

Ortolana duty manager Ella Xue is ready to scan vaccine passes. Photo / Michael Craig

Asked if anyone without a vaccination pass tried to get in, Molloy said only one person was turned away because they had an overseas vaccination pass which was not accepted.

He said if the vaccination pass scanning process couldn't be sped up, some businesses may be tempted to flout the rules and let people in without scanning.

New system a step into the unknown - Professor Shaun Hendy

But as restrictions are reduced, the reality of Covid is still there and people are reminded to continue to stick to the rules and take safety measures.

Covid-19 modeller Professor Shaun Hendy says the move into the traffic light system today indicates a change in response - and only time will tell just how effective it will be.

"It's a step into the unknown," he told Breakfast.

"It takes us back, really, to March 2020 when the alert level system was put together. We're just going to have to watch, I think, over the next few months."

In terms of the modelling, Hendy said one positive bit of news was that over the past month, the R number had come down.

That was mostly because of the accelerated rate of vaccinations among the population, he said.

Shifting into the new system, Hendy said we could see that R number go up again - slightly - and the number of community cases "creep up" again, particularly with Christmas and summer holidays coming up.

But we could not see that either, he said.

Hendy said we would not eliminate Delta again, but we need to keep the number of Covid cases in the community as low as possible.

Aucklanders encouraged to have a 'staycation' to keep virus out of vulnerable regions

Hendy acknowledged that working on modelling for the new year, he said lockdowns might still be required to control outbreaks particularly heading into the winter - and subsequent flu season.

On Māori communities in some regions who continue to record low vaccination levels, Hendy warned that the opening of Auckland's borders could mean for outbreaks of the virus in those small communities still trying to catch up on vaccination rates.

"Unfortunately, if Aucklanders travel in large numbers to those parts of the country, the virus has an opportunity to spread in under-vaccinated communities.

"That could have a particularly bad impact on Māori, who we know already have worse health outcomes from Covid-19.

"So it's really important, I think, that Aucklanders respect iwi roadblocks, for example.

"Maybe think of a staycation this summer or rethink their holiday plans, so they're not going to take the virus into vulnerable communities."

That applies to those who are vaccinated too, he said.

"The vaccines are very good, but they're not 100 per cent in stopping you becoming infected and passing it on to others."

Restaurants, pubs and gyms will be ready to scan for vaccine passports today. Photo / Michael Craig

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says officers would be working alongside the likes of Māori wardens to help police roadblocks in Northland, ahead of Auckland's borders finally opening up soon.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, he said traffic will still be allowed to flow "as freely as it normally does" all the while vehicles may be stopped before heading up north.

Put to him that Police authority - the law - is above ordinary locals wanting to stop and question members of the public, Coster acknowledged they would be working closely with local groups as has been made allowed by Government officials.

"These are unusual times," Coster said.

"The concern in the north is real. This is about responding to the concerns of communities up there. This will not affect people who are vaccinated or have a negative test."