Covid 19 Delta outbreak: 'We've lost a third of our customers': Owner of Whanganui dairy visited by Covid case says business has slumped

Castlecliff's Polson St Foodmarket was visited by a Covid-positive customer last Friday. Photo / Ethan Griffiths

Customer numbers have slumped at Whanganui's only business deemed a Covid-19 location of interest, the store's owner says.

Castlecliff's Polson St Foodmarket was named a location of interest by the Ministry of Health on Sunday after the discovery of a local case in Whanganui city.

The Covid-positive person visited the dairy on Friday, December 3, between 1.15pm and 1.45pm.

The dairy is being treated as low-risk, meaning those who visited the store at the affected time are only asked to get a test and isolate if they develop symptoms.

The dairy owner, who did not want to give her name, said initially she thought the call, made on Sunday morning, to inform her of the possible exposure was a prank.

"It was a mobile number that rang that looked like any other number - I wasn't sure it was real to begin with," she said.

After confirming its authenticity, the store owner immediately started a deep clean of most surfaces and put up notices around the store to inform customers that the business had been confirmed as a location of interest.

But despite remaining open and taking precautions such as erecting a perspex screen and keeping distanced, it appears the public are apprehensive to visit.

"It's been tough the last 24 hours, we've probably lost about a quarter to a third of customers.

"People are just worried to come in - but I'm fully vaccinated and wear a mask whenever I'm in the shop, there's no need to be worried."

Currently, the dairy is one of only two locations of interest in Whanganui - the other being the Kai Iwi Beach public bathrooms.

The Ministry of Health initially indicated more locations of interest were likely, but has since said other locations may not be listed.