Calls for contactless payment
Taranaki’s three mayors are urging shoppers and businesses to steer clear of eftpos machines and cash while the country remains at Covid-19 alert level three.
South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon, chair of the Taranaki Mayoral Forum, said while he understood using money and eftpos was allowed nationwide, he wanted to see local businesses and customers consider becoming completely contactless through Paywave and online payments.
According to Business.govt.nz, retail and hospitality businesses cannot let customers inside and should only have contactless collection and delivery. They should take contactless payment where possible and only accept cash if they have safe measures in place.
‘‘If it’s legal, I’m not going to argue it,’’ Nixon said. ‘‘But I’d recommend against it.’’
Nixon, who spoke on behalf of the forum made up of himself, Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke and New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom, said the call came in the light of the region’s two new probable Covid-19 cases – especially the ‘‘unusual’’ case where someone lived symptom-free for weeks.
Nixon said there was a fear someone else in the community would be in the same position, touch an eftpos terminal keypad or hand over cash and pass the virus on in the process. ‘‘We can’t risk it.’’
The mayors also noted there were retail and hospitality businesses who had been breaking protocol and letting customers into their stores.
And while Nixon had not seen or heard of any incidents in South Taranaki, his fellow mayors had voiced their concerns to him.
Nixon said there was a scenario in
New Plymouth where one business was seen going to ‘‘a lot of trouble’’ to be sure they were following protocol, and others could be seen along the street ‘‘flouting the rules’’.
‘‘I think it’s really disappointing that people aren’t adhering to it,’’ he said. ‘‘I absolutely want to see people trading, it’s vital to our economy, but it’s vital we follow the rules.’’
In saying that, some Taranaki businesses are already on the contactless path the mayors want.
New Plymouth cafe owner Susan Burton-Welsh who decided not to ‘open’ her Strandon shop until she could do just that – and today is the day.
Burton-Welsh, who owns The Federal Store and Federal Bakehouse in Strandon with Jeremy Burton, has spent the past week preparing a contactless service with the bakehouse’s doors closed.
‘‘We want to make sure our business is set up and our staff are safe,’’ BurtonWelsh said. ‘‘We just want to be seen doing the right thing.’’
So, they will take phone orders and use the ordering app Regulr as there is a ‘‘big moral obligation’’ to keep everyone safe, she said. ‘‘Why put in jeopardy what we’ve worked so hard for for the last five weeks.’’