Step 2 in Waikato and a promised move next week to Step 2 in Auckland is not just long overdue, but retailers will need cafes and restaurants reopening to get shoppers back in numbers.

“Retail and hospitality are peas in a pod,” says Sunny Kaushal, chair of the Dairy and Business Owners Group who also has interests in hospitality.

“We don’t think the government or the Prime Minister understands how bad things are for retail and hospitality under Alert Level 3.

“That’s why I have an open invitation for any Minister in Auckland to come and work with us for a few hours. That way they can report to Cabinet what they saw for themselves.

“It’s why reopening retail without hospitality does not make sense.

There’s little incentive to get into the shops if food and drink are just a hole-in-the-wall experience. That’s not how we’re going to turn this delta disaster around that’s cost small businesses in Auckland a billion dollars.

“There’s a mass of inconsistencies when all we want is a fair shake of the stick. We’ve also got 11 more days until the revised resurgence support payment kicks in as well.

“Why is it safe for thousands of school students to go back to school where they’ll mix all day, yet it’s not okay for the fully vaccinated customers to be served by fully vaccinated hospitality workers?

“Talking of that, where are both the Covid-19 passport and a law change clarifying employment laws and Covid-19?,” Mr Kaushal asked. -TIN Bureau