Zizi Sparks: Auckland joins country at level 2, they are free to travel

Contact tracing should be in place at level 2. Photo / File

COMMENT:

Aucklanders have been set free. After more than two weeks at alert level 3, locked in their own bubbles and backyards, they have joined the rest of the country at level 2.

Having Aucklanders locked down affected businesses in the Bay of Plenty. With Rotorua just three hours from Auckland and Tauranga just shy of that, the cities are popular weekend destinations for Aucklanders. They took up the call to travel domestically and boosted tourism business after the first lockdown.

All that dried up when Auckland was at alert level 3.

But now Aucklanders, like all New Zealanders, can travel wherever they like, spreading their business around the country, including at places which suffered in their absence such as accommodation providers and tourism operators.

But some operators aren't so sure they'll welcome Aucklanders with open arms.

The city is where Covid-19's second wave originated so there's now a stigma about people from there. Could they unknowingly be spreading Covid-19 around the country just as those who originated the latest cluster did?

This week, business owners told NZME that domestic tourism was vital but they were walking a tightrope between not wanting the virus to spread further and desperately needing domestic tourists.

One operator said having Aucklanders visit could put them in a worse position than they already were if the virus spread.

I get the concern but I don't think it's a valid one.

The Government has implemented stringent rules for level 2.

People should be logging where they go for contact tracing purposes, they should be wearing masks on public transport and keeping a safe distance.

If they do all of this, we can be confident any further community outbreak will be nipped in the bud. If they do all of this, they should be encouraged to travel domestically and support New Zealand businesses.

So I say we should welcome visitors with open arms.

Some businesses are suffering and they need patronage.