Now for the next phase
THE economic and social recovery phase to the Covid19 pandemic response begins on Thursday — and while many are rejoicing, some say it could be too late.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday announced a phased return to life after lockdown as people would be allowed to visit with family and friends — in groups limited to 10 — for the first time since the end of March, and retailers, malls, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and other public spaces could reopen, on Thursday.
From Monday, May 18, all schools and early childhood centres could open.
But bars would have to wait 10 days, until Thursday May 21, before reopening, with gathering limits to be reviewed in two weeks.
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said it was ‘‘really positive’’ the public health response now allowed for the resumption of some economic and social activity, but many were still being asked to make great sacrifices.
‘‘If you think about trying to put together a guest list for a funeral for a family member of fewer than 10 people, that’s fairly traumatic to have to consider, and you can’t underestimate the sacrifice that we are still asking people to make to keep this thing under control,’’ he said.
‘‘I acknowledge that that is particularly hard when you see yourself as the last cab off the rank, but it is important that we don’t blow it at this stage. And bars are a highrisk component for transmission.
‘‘Those aren’t easy decisions for anyone to have had to make, but again, they were weighing up the best health advice they had and also the desire to see a return to as much economic activity as can safely be managed as soon as possible. I think the compromise reached around bars reopening is a solid example of that.’’
A priority for the Dunedin City Council was reopening the public libraries, and work on ‘‘at what point’’ galleries, museums and Moana Pool could operate under Level 2 was still being worked on.
Learning she would be able to open her doors on Thursday brought tears to the eyes of the owner of Dunedin women’s clothing store Paint The Town Red, Diane McKenzie.
‘‘I’m feeling very, very happy and a little bit emotional, I have to say,’’ she said.
‘‘No income at all for seven weeks is pretty damn tough.’’
She had suppliers she owed money to and the lockdown was when sales of winter clothing were expected — when she usually made most of her profit.
‘‘I really don’t have a big window of time to sell a shopful of winter clothes.’’
She was considering having a big sale upon opening to help sell the stock, but that would mean taking a hit on her already diminished revenue.
Invercargill's Rogersons Footwear owner Rex Sinclair had had the store for 31 years and was confident his experience would get him through tough times.
‘‘Anyone who was indebted a wee bit would have suffered a lot worse . . . I can imagine if this happened when we first went in there, it would have been a nightmare.’’
The Otago Southland Employers Association chief executive Virginia Nicholls said she was pleased the Government had showed confidence in businesses operating safely, but it would be too late for some.
‘‘Businesses are struggling, and opening up travel, tourism, retail and hospitality will be a step in the right direction.
‘‘We are aware that this will be too late for some businesses who have closed or who are considering restructure and redundancy.’’
Hospitality NZ chief executive Julie White said she would be ‘‘strongly advocating’’ for further relaxed regulations if establishments could offer a safe environment to dine in.
Air New Zealand announced it would bring back seven domestic routes — including return flights to Dunedin from Auckland and Wellington from Monday June 1.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said it was exactly what the district was hoping for.
THERE is an appetite for a commuter train trial in Dunedin — but whether people would actually use the service needs to be tested, Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins says.
Mr Hawkins took to social media yesterday to bolster efforts by the ‘‘Keep Dunedin Rail Rolling’’ campaign to push for the continuation of rail services in the city.
‘‘There is no shortage of interest,’’ he told the Otago Daily
Times yesterday.
‘‘The question is whether that interest translates into people using the service. You can only find that out by people offering the service to the degree the infrastructure currently allows — that’s really the opportunity here to give people the chance to use it. If it’s something that has uptake, then it’s worth exploring further.’’
‘‘We would have to work with the [Otago] Regional Council because they still have governance of the public transport and any service — regularly scheduled public transport service — has to be registered with the regional council.’’
At a Dunedin City Council annual plan hearings session last week, Rail & Maritime Transport Union branch secretary Dave Kearns pushed for a sixweek trial of commuter trains between Mosgiel and Dunedin to save jobs and keep Dunedin Railways infrastructure usable.
He pitched an approximately $250,000 trial of three services a day: one each at peak morning and afternoon times, and another in the middle of the day.
Mr Hawkins’s Facebook post said he would bring a resolution to the council’s planning and environment committee meeting on Thursday asking for support for a continued future for rail in Dunedin and the Keep Dunedin Rail Rolling campaign; and a report in time for annual plan deliberations, costing a feasibility study for a commuter rail pilot using Dunedin Railways Ltd assets, in time to be of use for the regional public transport plan, and that looks at funding options to offset the costs.