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There are fears that continued uncertainty around lockdown restriction levels could cause serious mental health issues and even closure for some local businesses.
One Mahurangi business association manager Murray Chapman says more than two months of being unable to trade, and not knowing when levels will change as Covid continues to spread, is taking its toll.
“Because there’s no end date in sight, and you can’t logically expect an end date, it’s really hard for people to plan,” he says. “If you’re used to going to work every day and you’ve got money problems, it’s a huge amount of pressure.”
He says although cafes and restaurants can open for takeaway, they will barely be covering their costs, and there are many more businesses that have no income at all.
“You walk around and see all the hairdressing salons, clothing shops and other retailers closed and you don’t see those people on the street, and it’s hard to know how they are,” he says. “My gut feeling is from a mental health perspective, that people are struggling a lot more this time. And it’s happening behind the scenes, where a lot of us don’t see.”
Mr Chapman says he can only guess whether any Mahurangi businesses will be lost as a result of the pandemic, but thinks there will be a few “right on the cusp”.
One business that has opted to sell up, at least partly due to Covid-19, is popular Warkworth restaurant Wharf Street Bistro. Owner Tahlia Meharry says having just had a baby daughter with partner Andy Cameron, stepping back had been a possibility for some months, but it was lockdown that swung it for them.
“It was a hard decision,” she says. “We were looking at it when we knew we were having a baby, thinking maybe we should sell, but when Covid happened, we said yes, that’s it.”
Murray Chapman says One Mahurangi is sending out a weekly newsletter to members with mental health advice and links to any government help for members, but the future remains uncertain.
“The last couple of things have been about getting vaccinated, as the reality is that’s the only way we’re going to get out of this,” he says.
“We push the ‘buy local’ message really hard and the locals are really good at responding, but this time we’re really going to need to have a concentrated effort.
“It’s a really difficult one. It’s what’s happening behind the scenes that we have to be scared of.”
