Shop staff note vigilance slipping
DUNEDIN retailers say local shoppers are showing signs of Covid19 complacency, reflecting a drop in nationwide QR code scanning rates.
Storekeepers spoken to yesterday by the Otago Daily Times all had codes, signin sheets, sanitiser and perspex screens in place, but some said not all their customers were showing the same level of caution.
‘‘There probably has been a bit of complacency seeing as there haven’t been any cases here for a long time,’’ OpShop on St Andrew manager Lucy Knott said.
‘‘Some staff are definitely more proactive than others in encouraging people to scan.’’
The shop had QR codes posted in three different places, including right in front of the entrance.
‘‘There has definitely been a drop in people using the signin sheet, but I can’t say whether that’s because they are scanning instead or for other reasons.’’
Ministry of Health figures were unavailable in a regional breakdown, but in New Zealand for the seven days ending January 5, an average 391,000 scans a day were recorded.
On December 1, more than 700,000 scans were recorded, but by the middle of the month that had dropped to about 500,000 daily scans.
Granny Annies coowner Esther Price said when her shop got busy it was sometimes difficult to see if people were scanning or not, but she too had noted a decrease in people using signin sheets.
‘‘Some people do forget to scan though because I often see people read the note [asking them to scan], popping outside, and then coming back in again.’’
However, Perc manager Julia Mosen said most patrons at the busy Stuart St cafe had scanned in.
‘‘Most of our customers are pretty good about it, although sometimes they get a gentle reminder from other customers to do it.’’
Meanwhile, southern health authorities said that, as expected, Covid19 testing rates fell during the holiday break.
WellSouth medical director Stephen Graham said that from December 16 to January 5 there were 2124 Covid19 swabs taken in general practice in the Southern region.
‘‘Practices managed well throughout the holiday period, and we believe anyone seeking Covid19 testing will have been tested, and results provided, in a reasonable timeframe,’’ Dr Graham said.
‘‘There was a good deal of planning by the WellSouth and Southern District Health Board team to prepare for the holiday period and ensure residents and visitors were aware of when to get tested and how to access testing in Southern,’’ Dr Graham said.
‘‘Our 0800 VIRUS19 call centre was open every day over the holidays to ensure people could inquire about testing.’’
SDHB medical officer of health Michael Butchard said swabbing levels were beginning to return to preChristmas levels.
‘‘We urge people to remain vigilant . . . if you are sick, please stay at home and arrange a test.’’
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported four new cases of Covid19 had been detected in New Zealand in the previous two days, all in managed isolation and quarantine.
There were no new cases in the community.
The ministry also appealed for people to continue to use the Covid19 app to scan QR codes.
❛ There probably has
been a bit of complacency seeing as there haven’t been any cases here for a long
time