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Photo, Tony Kelly.
Under the current Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown, shoppers now have the option of buying fresh meat and fish at Fruit World in Silverdale.
Fruit World Silverdale owner Prenil Balia has started stocking products from two neighbouring businesses, Sam’s Butchery and Oceanz Silverdale, to help them out.
Fruit World also sells grocery items and is approved to open under Level 4 restrictions.
However, under Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) rules, greengrocers, butchers, bakeries, and fishmongers cannot open to customers, and can only sell uncooked food online with contactless payment and delivery.
Last Level 4 lockdown was extremely hard on small businesses such as butchers, bakers and fish retailers with only supermarkets and grocery stores like Fruit World able to operate.
These inconsistencies have been highlighted again.
MBIE points to its rules regarding which businesses can and cannot open under Level 4 and is unable to offer any clarification about the inconsistencies.
“These rules are about reducing the risk of further transmission in the community. Having too many businesses operating during Alert Level 4 or Level 3 increases the odds of transmission with workers moving in and out of their home bubbles, connecting bubbles, and increasing the potential chain of infection,” an MBIE spokesperson says.
