Shopkeepers say a new normal would take some getting used to if mask restrictions are finally dropped in two weeks time, with many retailers having spent months grappling with irate customers and staff sickness.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday the Cabinet would review both the traffic light settings and the broader Covid-19 rules in a fortnight, when ministers will consider shifting New Zealand to the “green” light setting.
The country has been at “orange” since April, requiring face masks in some indoor locations – like shops – and public transport.
The mask requirement would be removed under the green setting, essentially spelling an end to requirements designed to reduce the spread of Covid-19, except for self-isolation.
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New Zealand is seeing its lowest case numbers since early this year because of mass immunity brought on my both infection and vaccination.
The Opposition has been calling for the Government to reduce the required self-isolation period from seven daysto five, which Ardern said would also be considered.
“It’s really important for us to remember that if you drop it from seven to five, you are accepting that you will have greater infections off the back of that,” she said.
“It seems to be a pretty wide consensus now that if you cut it to five, there will be infectious people released before they no longer pose a risk to others. So that’s why we take public health advice on those decisions.”
For Maarten Loeffen, who owns the Traiteur European Butchery in Christchurch’s Merivale, staff sickness had occasionally left him working 100+ hour weeks on barely three hours of sleep a night.
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Traiteur European Butchery owner Maarten Loeffen, right, has worked some 130-hour weeks due to staff sickness (file photo).
Loeffen was on the fence about what a shift to green would mean for his business, saying staff had to deal with confusing mask rules many customers barely understood.
“The whole of the public is so confused anyway.”
“What does it really matter if they wear a mask? If they go to a bar or a restaurant they don’t wear a mask.”
He said he didn’t like having to “tell people off”, saying: “I’m not a schoolteacher.”
Masks made communicating with elderly or hard-of-hearing customers tougher, Loeffen said, and they worried it had lost them some business.
“At the moment, we’re getting some people walking past because they don’t have a mask.
“Australia – at least some states – have dropped [masks]. Lots of countries have. I think we’re a bit behind.”
Singapore, a country that has been cited as an example for New Zealand to follow, has also dropped many masking requirements.
Scorpio Books owner Dave Cameron said staff had noticed a reduction in mask use, including more customers coming in without them, despite a number of signs up.
“They’ve done their best, but sometimes people can be a bit unpleasant. Most of our clients are very well-behaved… [But] it would take the pressure off.”
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Scorpio Books co-owner Dave Cameron says it’ll take a bit of getting used to if mask restrictions are finally dropped (file photo).
Cameron said most of his staff were “vigorous mask-wearers” and preferred social distancing measures to avoid getting sick.
“I suppose it’s inevitable these restrictions will be dropped … It’ll take a bit of getting used to.”
Business had been pretty steady for the bookstore throughout the pandemic, he said, but appreciated some businesses had been harder hit than others. “I’d love to have things back to normal.
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Infectious diseases and pandemic expert from University of Otago, Wellington, Professor Michael Baker (file photo).
University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said the traffic light system lacked nuance.
There were “three pillars” protecting Kiwis from the virus – vaccinations, quarantine and isolation of active cases, and tools like mask use to limit transmission.
“There is this perception green is somehow a massive transition from orange … I don’t think the move from orange to green is particularly meaningful.”
The traffic light system had become very much tied to mask use, he said, and he hoped the Government would “fine-tune” it.
“I think it’s important to think about where we still need to be using masks. I’m not sure people would be keen to see the end of mask use at healthcare facilities or aged care facilities.”
Sungmi Kim/Stuff
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Government will soon revise the traffic light settings.
Baker was also unconvinced reducing the self-isolation period was the right move.
“At five days, two-thirds of people are still infectious … even at seven days a quarter of people are still excreting virus.
“We still want a system that minimises transmission and keeps cases low … But we also have to accept more likely than not [there will be] new variants, new waves of infection.
“We need to have a good system in place that can be scaled up.”
A report from the Auckland University’s Covid-19 Modelling Aotearoa group last week stated: “Most estimates in the literature for the proportion of cases still infectious after 7 days range between 10-30%”
The Omicron variant of Covid-19’s rate of transmission is the lowest it has been since the start of the year.
On Tuesday, the seven-day rolling average of community case numbers was 2251. A week earlier, it was 3496. The most recent peak of cases was 11,000 a day in mid-July.
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