Back to work . . . and play
Christchurch residents are enjoying the extra freedoms of Covid alert level 3 – less WFH and a tad more R&R.
For some it was back to work, while for others it was a taste of the freedom they’d been missing for a fortnight.
The first day of spring yesterday brought loosened Covid-19 restrictions for most Kiwis, with everywhere south of Auckland moving from alert level 4 to level 3.
Non-essential businesses were able to reopen with social distancing and noncontact trading rules in place.
In Christchurch, people lined up for freshly brewed coffee or their favourite food treats, or enjoyed extended access to the outdoors.
Marie Parsons headed out to ten27 cafe in Ferrymead and said it was ‘‘heaven’’ to be able to pick up real coffee again.
Parsons said she had an espresso machine at home, but it just was not the same. She ordered one for herself, one for her husband, and was also shouting workers from her husband’s construction company.
Fast food outlets reported steady trade all day. The pace picked up later in the day. By 6pm at McDonald’s in Merivale, the evening queue snaked through the car park and down the street.
Georgina Strachan and son Max, aged 6, had a 40-minute wait after joining the queue about 5.20pm.
‘‘It was well-organised and everyone was being patient. It was just nice – when you don’t have something for a while you miss it,’’ Strachan said.
An early morning customer at McDonald’s in Linwood was Hepa Puru, who secured himself a $50 feast to welcome the first day of alert level 3.
He bought two double cheeseburgers, a double quarter pounder with added bacon and mayo, a McChicken, and a 10-pack of chicken nuggets.
‘‘I’ll be back down later when the kids wake up,’’ he said.
The drive-through was set up to minimise contact, with staff members delivering food to outdoor tables for customers to collect.
Meanwhile, in Sumner, the ocean was dotted with the odd swimmer and surfer enjoying the water for the first time in a fortnight.
While exercise close to home was allowed under level 4, activities like swimming and mountain biking were off-limits.
University student Ben Hofmans was among those who welcomed level 3 with a quick dip in the sea.
‘‘It’s not as warm as summer, but it’s nice to be able to go swimming again.’’
Hofmans said he had been trying to swim in the sea each day for about the past year.
‘‘I get very antsy if I don’t have my exercise outdoors.’’
Gerard and Anna Kilpatrick also went out for a swim yesterday morning.
They were regular winter swimmers and had missed being in the water during lockdown, Gerard Kilpatrick said.
‘‘It’s just lovely to be back in the water and have a couple of extra freedoms.’’
Level 3 also saw work resume on construction and road working sites, with
distancing and extra hygiene measures in place.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency manager Peter Brown said the transition back to work would be different at each site, and asked motorists to be patient when driving through roadworks.
The Christchurch City Council reopened its Eco-Drop transfer stations, but residents can only drop off rubbish, recycling and green waste by appointment.
Playgrounds, libraries, public toilets and skifields remain closed under level 3. Boat ramps in Christchurch are closed, but jetties including the New Brighton Pier have reopened.