New Zealand moved back into a 3-day national lockdown after a single case of Covid was identified on Tuesday. The country’s first coronavirus outbreak in six months has now grown to 10 people, one of them a fully vaccinated nurse, and all of them have the Delta variant. Several of the cases are linked to the Sydney outbreak.
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| NZ PM Jacinda Ardern announces a 3-day national lockdown and a 7-day lockdown for Auckland and Coromandel |
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| "The whole country goes straight to Level 4": Ruth Cobb, CEO PrintNZ |
“Here we go again - there was no easing into it through Level 2 or 3, the whole country goes straight to Level 4,” Print NZ CEO Ruth Cobb told members via email. “I know that many of you have contingency plans ready to go which is great. As we haven't been in Level 4 since 28 April last year I wanted to send this eletter to remind you all of what that means.
“Only businesses providing essential services can continue to operate. At this point if you are unsure if you provide an essential service then you should probably close.
“You can only leave your home in very limited circumstances - groceries, exercise, healthcare or to go to work. In all cases if you leave you home you should wear a mask and you must remain two metres apart from other people at all times - you may only make physical contact with those you live with.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
“If you are a part of the supply chain for essential services then you are able to continue to operate, but you have an obligation under the Health and Safety Act 2015 to ensure that you keep your workforce safe,” Cobb said. “That means taking steps to ensure that your staff are not exposed to Covid-19 through the workplace.
“Here are a few points you should be aware of:
If you do remain open you can only do the work that is part of the essential supply chain. You cannot undertake non-essential work while you are there. This may mean you work reduced hours.
Staff must be able to work 2 metres apart.
You will need to have in place strict hygiene protocols and provide appropriate PPE for all workers. This will require additional wiping down of common touchpoints and surfaces.
Avoid cross-contamination between shifts.
Staff that are not required for production of essential services should stay home.
Anyone that can, must work from home.
Anyone that is sick should not come to work.
All receiving and despatching of product must be contactless.
You should keep a register of everybody that visits your premises or have a way of ensuring that every person scans your QR code.
You may want to consider splitting shifts and separating smoko areas so that staff don't overlap, providing you a buffer if one of your staff should trigger a requirement for isolation.
Ensure you display the appropriate posters reminding people to sign in, wash their hands, remain 2 metres apart, how to cough appropriately etc. You can download these posters by clicking here.
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
“Because Auckland and Coromandel are going into a minimum seven day lockdown, both regions will trigger the Wage Subsidy Scheme which supports eligible employers who experience a revenue loss of more than 40 per cent. The payment has been increased to $600 for a full-time employee and $359 for a part time employee. This would be paid in a two-week lump sum.
“The Resurgence Support Payment through the IRD is also in play, which applies to a 30 per cent loss of revenue, and is up to $1500, plus $400 per employee up to a maximum of 50 employees.
“If you are eligible you can claim both of these. I will provide more detail when it is made available but applications will be open from Friday.
VARIATIONS TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS
“Remember that if you need to alter your staff's terms and conditions of employment to navigate this lockdown and any subsequent periods, you need to consult with them prior to doing so. Both parties have an obligation of good faith and while you may need to act in haste, you also need to follow an appropriate process. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about how to manage this.
“There will be a lot more information to come over the next few days and we will keep you posted as things become clearer. We are here to help you. In the meantime stay safe and take care.”
