Auckland to move to Level 3 – From 11:59pm, Tuesday, 21 September 2021

The PM has announced today that Auckland will be moved to Level 3 from tomorrow at 11:59pm.

This is good news for many small businesses out there who were not able to operate during level 4.

At Alert Level 3, everyone should work from home if they can.

If your business involves close physical contact, it cannot open.

All other businesses can operate, but with restrictions. This includes:

• meeting physical distancing requirements
• having extra hygiene measures
• regularly cleaning and disinfecting shared surfaces
• having contactless options for ordering, pick-up, delivery and payment
• making sure staff, customers and visitors wear a face covering if they are required to.If your business does not have measures in place to operate safely, then you should close.

Your business legally must be contactless. Your customers can pay online, over the phone or in a contactless way. Delivery or pick-up legally must also be contactless.

At Alert Level 3, work such as building and construction can resume.

If you are a retail business operating in the Alert Level 3 area, you can sell and deliver both essential and non-essential goods to customers in the Alert Level 4 area.

Customers cannot come onto your premises — unless you are an eligible business. To see the list of eligible businesses, click HERE.

If you own or run a business where staff cannot work from home, make sure:

• employees keep 1 metre apart.
• customers stay 2 metres apart, including when waiting in line to pick up a contactless order. If your business is allowed customers on-site and physical distancing is difficult, you may need to implement a “one-in, one out” policy.
• you offer flexible working options — for example staggered meal breaks, or staggered start and finish times to reduce the number of people your employees have contact with at work.
• your employees stay home if they are sick, have cold or flu symptoms, or if they have been asked to get a COVID-19 test. You can apply for financial support so you can keep paying your employees who need to isolate. Financial support if an employee needs to self-isolate.
• you provide hygiene and cleaning products so workers can clean and disinfect shared surfaces, and wash and dry their hands.
• you display your QR code and have an alternative contact tracing system for people who cannot access a smartphone.

For more details, please click HERE.

Finally, I hope you and all your loved ones are safe and healthy. I hope many of you can come back to work safely and do put in precautions measures so that both you, your team and your customers are safe.

At the same time, I encourage you to support our local shops and businesses. They are the backbone of our economy and it has been a tough time for them to maintain their business operations over the Level 4 lockdown. If you can, order that contactless pick-up coffee on your way to the local park or safely get your favourite pie for lunch.

Take care and stay safe!