Russell Bell: A shout-out to Whanganui businesses trying to cope with traffic lights

From changing their point of entry to putting seats outside, many businesses in our region have worked very hard to comply with new Covid-19 rules, Russell Bell writes. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

I want to give a big shout-out to all of the businesses working really hard to comply with the confounding, confusing and complex rules that have accompanied the roll-out of the Covid traffic-light system.

From changing their point of entry, to putting seats outside, to installing vaccine-pass readers, many businesses in our region have worked very hard to comply.

But even the terms and requirements of compliance are as vague as the lyrical meaning of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, making actual compliance subjective and challenging.

And, really, whether customers comply or not, getting completely effective compliance from the public on this is about as likely as sitting on a chair at Castlecliff Beach and commanding the tide not to come in.

We are regularly reminded that there is no playbook for this situation of a virus of unknown origins, and this legislation certainly feels like it. Compliance is only ever going to be variable, even when it is filtered out to already stressed and oversubscribed business owners.

And so, with our first local case popping up the day after the new rules came in, we see how important how we all operate is going to be (and why better thought-out and less-rushed policy would likely protect us better than what we have).

I want to point out a local business whose application of the new rules on Friday night was exemplary. Kudos to Lez and the team at the Mint cafe who not only served up the best kai but also superbly managed the "red light" process.

On booking, I was informed of Mint's policy and that Mrs Bell and I needed to show our vaccine passes. I also brought my driver licence, which, curiously, is not required under the rules to verify identity. Businesses are required to take "reasonable" steps, and the Mint approach was excellent. The waitress scanned our passes and also linked us to the booking. From there the service was seamless and, apart from the face masks for all staff, implementation was no different. By the way, I recommend the burger and loaded fries – but not together, as each is a meal in itself!

Unlike other encounters with the traffic lights I'd heard about from friends around the country, Mint had a workable application. I hear that some venues appear to be more laissez-faire or have opted to ignore the new system completely or have reverted back to click and collect. Although on Friday, the person sitting immediately to my right (coughing all too regularly) showed that even with a well-executed process you cannot stop carriers of any virus from entering premises if they have the paperwork. And, as I heard on the radio this morning, easily produced and convincing fakes are popping up.

If I were a betting man, I would wager that the traffic lights will last only for summer and we will be back to the alert system due to spread, which our leaders say is "inevitable" - funny that they don't question the actual decision to open the border on December 15. The PM and Covid-19 Response Minister have already said as much, and the Omicron variant will likely give a reasonable rationale for change.

In the meantime, apart from saying what a fantastic venue Mint is, they have clearly thought about it and come up with an approach which meets the new rules and will keep us as safe as can be – well done, Lez and team.