The end to mandates for staff and vaccine passes for customers are welcomed by the hospitality and accommodation sectors but increasing the capacity cap for venues will make little difference for larger venues, says Hospitality New Zealand.
"The Prime Minister says things have been ‘bloody hard’ – well, I can say this has been very bloody hard for hospitality and accommodation businesses," says a Hospitality NZ spokesperson.
"Moving the cap to 200 is a waste of time, because people still have to be seated. Why 200? It’s nonsensical.
"The cap should be pinned to the capacity of the venue. Lifting it will not work for bars and other night venues. The seated model does not work for them, even with a higher cap.
"These are businesses that have been disproportionately impacted through the whole two years of the pandemic.
"They are suffering reduced revenue while paying higher labour costs to police all this.
"Where is the additional support to help them carry that load?
"I have one member with multiple venues who says he’s scraping the bottom of the barrel and has nothing left to support his businesses. And I know he’s not the only one.
"Businesses are running out of patience.
"The removal of outdoor limits while having indoor seated limits is also nonsensical. You can play a game of rugby where players are all over each other, but when they go for a beer later, they have to be seated and spaced apart. How ridiculous is that?
"As the Prime Minister said, the data speaks for itself and virus spread in hospitality is low. That’s exactly what we have been saying, so if that’s the case why are we staying in the Red setting?
"The planning for all this has been haphazard, to say the least.
"We’re opening to the world but we have these nonsensical solutions. Nothing is running concurrently or complimentary. To have to wait until April 4 when every day counts for those in hospitality and accommodation is just going to be too late for some.
"And all the while hospitality businesses continue to be hammered."
