How to play it safe at Alert Level 2

It’s Queen’s Birthday. Don’t forget to keep track of where you go and who you meet this long weekend.

What does contact tracing mean for businesses?

Contact tracing means people and businesses can be reached quickly if there is a risk of exposure to a known case of the virus.

Businesses and organisations (except retail stores, malls, markets and takeaway shops) must keep a customer log, including date, time visited, name, email, and phone. You do not need to keep a record of a customer’s address.

Please note: you still need to keep a customer log, even if your customers check-in with their own app.

Only share your customer log with the Ministry of Health or District Health Boards. You must keep this safe and secure for two months.

Your booking system may be able to be used as your customer log if you collect the required information – for example many hairdressers and doctors’ surgeries already do this.

Socialising at Alert Level 2

From 12 noon today (Friday 29 May), you can socialise with friends and whānau in groups of up to 100 people. This includes if you’re catching up at home, or out and about. Some larger venues may need to separate each group of 100 people in defined areas. Bars and restaurants will still ask you to be seated, separated and require you to have a single server.

Keep playing it safe New Zealand

Now we’re at Alert Level 2 and a bit of normality has returned to our lives, it’s easy to get complacent. Let’s lock in the gains we have already made.

What does contact tracing mean for individuals?

By recording your movement when out and about, you are helping health professionals to trace your contacts faster, should you ever be exposed to COVID-19.

Individuals should keep track of the three Ws: where you went, when you went there, and who you met.

You can do this using any method that suits you, including a range of apps, a daily diary or using notes on your phone.

Businesses you visit – including bars and restaurants – will ask for your contact details. Remember to be patient when they ask you to do this. Keeping these records helps to keep everyone safe, and is a requirement of many businesses to be able to open.

If you have people in your home, for example for a party or event, there is no need to record the details of those who attend, unless you do not know them and don’t have a way of contacting them. In that case, play it safe, and keep a note of their name, the date and time, and their contact details.

Keep on making the space

Remember to continue to keep your distance from people you don’t know, especially in public places and out and about. This is incredibly important over the long weekend when people may be attending social gatherings, or visiting places like beaches and public parks.