Hospitality venue staff and guests should follow Ministry of Health and Government guidelines to assist with managing and reducing transmission of COVID-19.
New guidelines on mass gatherings are not intended to adversely impact hospitality establishments like cafes, restaurants and bars.
Members can Download the Restaurant Association’s template guest register here.
Additionally, members can use this signage to help communicate the gathering limits and requirement to sign a register.
Definitions
The 100 people occupancy limit includes staff in each area.
An indoor gathering a gathering within a single enclosed area. Separated, self-contained single enclosed areas within another enclosed area (ie, a separate function room, a separate dining room or separate bar area, where customers do not need to go into other areas for service, except for bathrooms) that are enclosed by walls and doors or other appropriate solid surfaces are to be treated as separate gathering areas and can each have a maximum of 100 people.
A casino gathering is a gathering on a gambling area within a casino venue where it is possible to achieve greater levels of social distancing through additional controls and isolation techniques. Outdoor areas, separated from any indoor enclosed areas, must adhere to either the permitted occupancy or fewer than 100 people, whichever is less.
Physical distancing means remaining 1 metre away from other people, or if you are closer than 1 metre, being there for less than 15 minutes. Physical distancing is important to help protect you and others from COVID-19, which spreads via droplets from coughing and sneezing. Staying 1 metre away from others is an effective measure.
Hospitality venue guidelines
Follow Ministry of Health guidelines and keep up with any changes or updates.
Hand hygiene and cleaning
- Take appropriate hygiene measures to ensure customers can wash and dry their hands thoroughly. Provide suitable waste receptacles.
- You should take reasonable and proactive measures to ensure customers are in good health and not a potential risk to staff or others.
- Adhere to the strict cleaning procedures that you will already have in place for your business, with frequent cleaning, sanitising and waste disposal.
Physical distancing and gathering size limits
- Keep the numbers of customers and staff in the venue, or in each area, to fewer than 100 at any one time. You can monitor entry and exit as you normally would to manage occupancy limits, use a counter or clicker at the door or do a regular head count during business hours to maintain this limit. You may keep a count of guests in the reservation book, even if a group hasn’t made a reservation.
- To ensure physical distancing of at least 1 metre, you may need to reassess the layout and placement of your furniture and entertainment equipment. Set tables at least 1 metre apart from each other and keep no more than 100 seats in any dining area. Moving an indoor event outdoors may help maintain physical distancing.
- Talk to your customers about the guidance and ensure your staff are aware of the Ministry of Health guidance and your policies and procedures. Staff and guests should use their common sense.
Keep details of guests
Implement a COVID-19 guest register, including:
• date
• time
• full name
• address
• phone
• email addresses.
Members can Download the Restaurant Association’s template guest register here. You may want encourage customers to use their own pens to sign the guest register with, or, locate the register next to a hand sanitizing station, or, consider wiping the pen between people.
Additionally, members can use this signage to help communicate the gathering limits and requirement to sign a register.
Bars and nightclubs should require guests to put their details in the register before being served. Group bookings should sign the register on entry.
Keep guest details in the register for 4 weeks. It will only be used for the purpose of contact tracing at the request of the Ministry of Health or local District Health boards.
Gambling area guidelines
Gambling area within a hospitality venue
- Adhere to all hospitality guidelines.
- Configure electronic gaming machines to allow appropriate social distancing.
Gambling area within a casino venue
- Ensure physical distancing of at least 1 metre is managed appropriately.
- Manage indoor customer flow to ensure less than 100 people are in a static location at any one time within the enclosed space, including a maximum of 100 seats in any enclosed area.
- Set tables in a dining area one meter apart from each other
- Take appropriate hygiene measures to ensure customers can wash and dry their hands thoroughly. Provide suitable waste receptacles.
- Provide hand sanitiser to all gambling areas to encourage best practice hand hygiene.
- Adhere to the strict cleaning procedures that you will already have in place for your business, with frequent cleaning, sanitising and waste disposal.
- Ensure physical distancing is managed appropriately, including:
- configuring electronic gaming machines to allow appropriate physical distancing
- limiting table games to 5 persons per table to allow appropriate physical distancing
- prohibit back betting at any table to prevent overcrowding
- restrict draws and other marketing-based promotions that may encourage mass gatherings.
- Persons identified to have flu like symptoms may be evicted and denied entry for a period of 14 days.
More information
You can find more information on indoor gatherings at health.govt.nz/covid-19