The Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins, has announced that as a result of declining Covid case numbers and hospitalisations, all of New Zealand will be in the Orange traffic light setting from 11:59pm, 13 April, 2022.
Quick summary of Orange for hospitality
- There are no limits on the number of people who can be at the venue — either indoors or outdoors.
- Customers do not have to be seated, or separated.
- Customer facing staff are still required to wear medical-grade masks, when they are serving customers indoors (but not outdoors).
- Customers are not required to wear masks outdoors, or indoors.
The removal of the seated and separated rule, along with the increase to gathering numbers is a major step forward in our path to revival and recovery and a huge relief for many in the industry, as it means they can resume their normal style of operation, customers can order from the counter, mingle with others and dancefloors can open.
With the move to Orange just in time for Easter and the school holidays, as well as the return of Australian visitors to our shores, we hope that the dining public are encouraged to head to their local favourites, or try somewhere new. We hope to see a boost to consumer confidence that will ease of some of the challenges hospitality businesses have all been facing. It is expected that more workplaces will also head back into working from the office at Orange and this will be vital for the central city districts.