Thursday, 30 November 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Fears hospitality industry will have to enforce mandatory sign-in rules

NZ Herald
22 Aug, 2021 08:40 AM4 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
There are 21 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, bringing the total number of people infected in the outbreak to 72. One million New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated.

New Zealand's hospitality sector is concerned that new mandatory record-keeping rules will put the onus on businesses, rather than customers, to make sure people scan or sign in.

It's warning frontline staff will face aggression from customers who refuse to follow the rules.

Businesses are concerned the onus will be on them to enforce mandatory scanning in. Photo / Dean Purcell
Businesses are concerned the onus will be on them to enforce mandatory scanning in. Photo / Dean Purcell

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced this afternoon it would be compulsory for busy places, like large gatherings and some businesses and service centres, to record the details of people coming in.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell

This would enable fast contact tracing, he said. "Speed means a lot."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

READ MORE
• Hospitality union: There's a wage shortage, not a worker shortage
• New Zealand's hospitality industry needs much more than a 'reset'
• Covid-19 coronavirus: Retail and hospitality industry nervous and stressed about lockdown
• Scan in, sign in: Record-keeping to become mandatory in all alert levels

It would be up to the host or business to make QR codes and sign-in sheets available, or record details another way. Further detail is coming including whether there will be penalties for businesses, or their customers, if they refuse to scan in.

The rules would apply at busy places like cafes, casinos and concerts, aged-care facilities, barbers, libraries and government agencies. Places that already require sign-in - such as gyms with swipe cards - wouldn't need to change what they do.

Hipkins has since clarified retailers will be exempt.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Ultimately we agreed that the compliance burden for small businesses would be too onerous", he said in a statement.

"Our priority for mandatory record keeping is locations where mask wearing isn't practical, for example where food and drink as being consumed, and where people gather in larger numbers. Experience here and abroad shows that these are the settings that prove the greatest challenge for contact tracers."

While the business and hospitality sectors agree scanning is essential to help with contact tracing, but they say it shouldn't be their job to enforce it.

Hospitality staff have already more aggressive and "tense" behaviour from customers since the start of the pandemic, Hospitality NZ chief executive Julie White said.

Related articles

World

Sydney man tells of terrifying symptoms from hospital bed

22 Aug 05:00 PM
Business

'$1m a day' - lockdown toll on retail, entertainment and hospo

30 Aug 05:24 AM
Business

'It's a disaster': Hospitality NZ says industry in dire situation

06 Sep 05:00 PM

Today's announcement was "the result of the low takeup of the team of five million of the lack of scanning...That non-compliance should not sit with us. It should be 50-50, the business should make [sign in and QR codes] available, but it really will be customers buying into this," she said.

"We're not the police. We're not enforcement. So that detail on how that's going to work, we're really keen to hear more."

Her organisation had been working with the Government on the issue of scanning but had been fighting against record keeping being made compulsory.

"We're fully behind opening up as quickly as we can, as safely as we can. So unfortunately it's the hospitality industry have put their hand up to do the right thing but they're going to now burden [us with] the cost of that compliance."

Hipkins said this afternoon the rules would apply at every alert level but there would be a seven-day grace period at each level change to allow businesses to get things sorted.

"We want to give businesses a bit of time to adjust...we do acknowledge it is an extra imposition on business, but a lot less than higher alert levels," he said.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

White said Hospitality NZ "really appreciated" the Government had listened to their concerns in that respect.

But she was disappointed hospitality would bear the compliance burden while retailers like supermarkets were exempt. Some businesses may need to hire more staff to enforce the rules - which would be very hard in the current labour market, she said.

Retail NZ Greg Harford was pleased retailers were exempt but agreed it was unfair for businesses to have to enforce sign-ins, which created conflict with some customers.

"We've already seen a big upsurge in aggression and sometimes violence over the last 18 months by customers who are aggrieved about things," he said. "People are feeling a little stressed out perhaps by the whole situation we're in. It's not right that it's taken out on retail and cafe workers."

He was not aware of any business that had been penalised under the current system.

"Everyone is doing their best to comply with all the rules."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The Act Party also came out against making businesses enforce sign-ins - saying instead there should instead be incentives for people to use the app.

Leader David Seymour suggested a Covid Tracer app lottery would encourage people to use it more.

"Instead of getting pinged to isolate, you might get pinged that you've won $1000."

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Thirteen fire appliances tackling blaze at Auckland refuse station

29 Nov 08:25 AM
New Zealand

Te Pāti Māori co-leader says smokefree reversal ‘systemic genocide’

29 Nov 07:54 AM
New Zealand

Focus: The White Lady faces a bun shortage

New Zealand

Restaurant axe attacker acquitted on grounds of insanity

29 Nov 07:07 AM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Thirteen fire appliances tackling blaze at Auckland refuse station

Thirteen fire appliances tackling blaze at Auckland refuse station

29 Nov 08:25 AM

Police and 13 fire appliances are attending an incident on the North Shore.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader says smokefree reversal ‘systemic genocide’

Te Pāti Māori co-leader says smokefree reversal ‘systemic genocide’

29 Nov 07:54 AM
Focus: The White Lady faces a bun shortage

Focus: The White Lady faces a bun shortage

Restaurant axe attacker acquitted on grounds of insanity

Restaurant axe attacker acquitted on grounds of insanity

29 Nov 07:07 AM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP