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While the world comes to grips with the spread of Covid-19, the impacts are beginning to filter down to townships on the Coast, particularly dining and travel businesses.
Destination Orewa Beach manager Hellen Wilkins says hospitality businesses, especially Asian and ethnic themed cafes and restaurants, are among the first to feel the effects in Orewa.
“Customers across the board, both European and Asian, have reduced their eating out habits – it’s definitely not just one demographic,” Hellen says.
“Also, Orewa is bordered by two or three suburbs with significant Asian populations so the impact of travel restrictions means less friends and family visiting this area. This is likely to result in a relative drop in spend by these families especially as Chinese New Year was in the initial stages of the virus.
“For both these reasons, we anticipate there will be a drop in the Orewa retail spend – especially in hospitality – in the January to March quarter, and possibly beyond.”
As major airlines such as Air New Zealand and Qantas cut services, local travel agents are recording a fall in new travel enquiries.
You Travel Orewa director Kiri Martin says despite the drop, customers are still booking holidays to carefully considered destinations.
“There have been some cruise cancellations to high risk areas and a slow down in new enquiries, but most people are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach or delaying travel to a later date,” she says. “Flexible booking/payment conditions are giving customers more peace of mind.”
Kiri says that for anyone who has booked for the Olympics, it is a matter of ‘wait and see’.
She says staff hours are not being affected at this stage.
House of Travel says customers directly affected by Covid-19 related cancellations, or those travelling to destinations with increased travel advisory warnings, are tending not to cancel their plans. Instead, they are delaying their travel.
For credible, independent information about the risk and safety of travel during the coronavirus outbreak, travel agents recommend visiting these websites: who.int and safetravel.govt.nz.
Business Whangaparaoa secretary Sarah Carr says it is hard to measure the impact on the peninsula at this early stage, as the area does not have a large number of importers or exporters.
“However, if it continues to spread, causing further travel restrictions, this may have an impact,” she says.
“This is the type of situation where having one road in and out may not be a disadvantage!”
Silverdale Area Business Association chair Theo Simeonidis says Covid-19 is already negatively affecting Silverdale businesses.
“There are three ways that we’re seeing impacts,” he says.
“Firstly, grocery stores are running out of stock for various products such as long-life milk. Secondly, because a lot of products imported into New Zealand come from China, there has been a lull in imports, which may negatively impact the supply chain for product-based businesses. Finally, it’s likely that as the number of confirmed cases in New Zealand rises, and the fact we’re heading into cold and flu season, we will see extended absences from work as people self-quarantine.”
Theo says that while these impacts aren’t unique to Silverdale, they could put some strain on local businesses.
Hellen Wilkins says the current uncertainties underline the importance of the community supporting local businesses.
“They need us for their livelihood and we need them for the serviceability and continuity of our day-to-day life. Until the Ministry of Health advises otherwise, everyone should continue life as normal, follow the suggested hygiene protocols and stay home if you feel unwell. But, if you feel well, head out and support our local businesses especially those in the hospitality sector as they are suffering the most.”
Army Bay Covid-19 quarantine over for now
The lifting of the Covid-19 quarantine for the second group to be housed at the Army Bay Defence Force base in Whangaparaoa this month, and the removal of the caravans from the site, signal the end of this particular use for the facility. The 14-day quarantine period for the six New Zealanders repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship ended on March 5. The Ministry of Health advise that all six left the Whangaparāoa Reception Centre (Defence Force base), with no symptoms of coronavirus. The first group to be quarantined there consisted of 157 people evacuated from Wuhan in China. After their 14-day isolation, they left the centre last month. The Ministry of Health says that there are no immediate plans to reuse this centre for quarantine purposes. The final job was to have the 75 campervans that were brought onsite to house people while in isolation thoroughly cleaned and then driven away, a Ministry spokesperson says.
