Customers desert Covid-sceptic’s cafe
A South Island cafe is under fire after telling customers to use the
Covid-19 tracer app only if they ‘‘feel the need’’.
But the cafe owner said he is ‘‘not policing people’’ over scanning, which is ‘‘not a law’’.
A photograph of the QR code at Mad Cafe in Collingwood, modified to tell patrons scanning is ‘‘optional’’, was posted to Twitter by a passer-by.
‘‘So if you are in Collingwood Nee Zealand [sic] I would avoid this cafe and tell management why!’’ the post said.
The post drew criticism, with many people saying they would boycott the Golden Bay cafe and encourage others to do the same.
‘‘Ha! Had a few meals there in my time, not any more, that’s one local and his family not going there any more. Don’t mind you having a point of view, just don’t shove it in my face, especially if you want me to buy your food!’’ one person wrote.
‘‘I send a lot of lodge guests to Collingwood. I will have to remember to tell them what to avoid as well as what to see,’’ another commented.
‘‘Thanks for the heads up – we jumping a flight today to Nelson for four days. Was heading up that way but will bypass the entire town! Team of 5 million minus
256,’’ another said.
But the cafe owner, who goes by the name of Nganga, said there was no virus in Golden Bay and he ‘‘doesn’t accept’’ the coronavirus is real. ‘‘It’s all about getting the vaccine . . . and what goes into these unproven vaccines? ... I’ve got a fair idea,’’ he told 1 News. ‘‘A microchip is one little thing I wouldn’t want having. I’m after the truth not twisted stories.’’
Nganga said most customers scanned the code, regardless of his addition, and it had not drawn any comments.
A Ministry of Health spokesman said it was ‘‘not appropriate for a cafe to be writing ‘optional if you feel the need’ on top of the QR Code’’.
‘‘We understand it is voluntary to scan, however businesses are required to display QR codes for good reason.
‘‘Many businesses recognise the importance of scanning and include the words ‘please scan in’ at the top of the code.
‘‘We ask businesses to take the matter seriously, something New Zealanders also expect. Businesses know the impact a community outbreak can have on them, and we all need to play our part.’’
On Friday, the Covid tracer app had 2,456,488 registered users, while the number of poster scans reached 157,181,754. Users have created 6,347,771 manual diary entries.