Auckland is looking forward to joining the rest of New Zealand at Alert Level 1 at the end of this week.
Announcing the decision to shift Auckland to alert level 2, while the rest of the country moved to level 1 at 6am last Sunday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said cabinet will review the situation at the end of this week, with a view to moving Auckland to level 1 on March 13 .
Ardern said there is still a chance of additional cases in the community, so the requirements on people in isolation will remain, and that in level 2, people still need to practice social distancing, stay at home if they are sick and get tested if they have symptoms.
The Restaurant Association has said it is pleased to see the country move back to the lower alert levels.
“This is the news that we needed after the alert level yo-yo’s we’ve experienced over the last month,” said Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois.
“What is now imperative is that the government looks to offer fair and quick financial support to those industries most hard hit by the pandemic.
“The constant last minute closures and restrictions on trading put untenable financial and emotional strain on owners.
“We must remember that any increase in alert levels generally means weeks of cancellations and subdued trading for hospitality.
“The government needs to ensure that criteria for subsidies is fair and realistic for our sector,” says Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association.
