Some local businesses are letting down the team of five million. Different variants of COVID-19 are still circulating in the community, including the new variant of Omicron that is causing concern for its rapid spread overseas. Covid can have an enormous impact on your business and it is in your best interest that your staff do not catch it. Making sure you and your employees are wearing a mask not only shows that you are a business that cares about its community, it's what you are supposed to be doing under the Orange traffic light setting.
In case anyone is living under a rock - the fines for employees not wearing masks still apply. So if you are okay with your staff risking your business to a fine of up to $12,000 for breaching the masking rules (see below) then your business must be doing better than those of the thousands of frustrated and stressed business owners.
If you are reading this and don't want your staff to wear a mask and are happy to pay a fine, then OK let us know and we can make that happen for you.
Masks don't just help against COVID-19, they also have proven to be beneficial in preventing the spread of some pretty common winter ailments, like the cold or this year's flu.
Medical grade masks are proven to work against colds and viral flus and have dramatically decreased the amount of viral transmission in our communities. We are not stuck at home, we are not in lockdown, a little mask doesn't seem like too much to ask to keep businesses going. The blue medical-grade masks are also very light and soft to wear for longer hours.
If you need a refresher of the current rules and penalties please see below.
CURRENT RULES: (ALL OF NZ IS IN ORANGE)
- Since 11.59pm, 13 April, 2022 all regions in New Zealand are in ORANGE.
Omicron response phase: Since 24 February, 2022 Aotearoa is in Phase 3.
- Customer-facing staff are still required to wear medical-grade masks, when they are serving customers indoors (but not outdoors).
- Face masks are mandatory on flights, public transport, in taxis, indoor retail, public facilities, food and beverage services (except when eating), close proximity services, and for workers at indoor events. Face masks are encouraged elsewhere.
- Workers at events, or providing close proximity services, and food and beverage service must wear a medical-grade face mask while working indoors if they are interacting with customers.
CURRENT PENALTIES FOR BREACHES:
- The penalty for failing to comply with a COVID-19 requirement that has been specified as an infringement offence will increase to a maximum infringement fee of $4,000 (previously $300) or a $12,000 maximum court-imposed fine, up from $1,000. Examples of infringement offences include failure to wear a face-covering in places where it is mandatory.
- A person who intentionally fails to comply with a COVID-19 order, thereby committing a criminal offence, is now liable on conviction for a fine of up to $12,000, up from $4,000, or six months imprisonment.
That could include offences such as a person travelling without permission, or travelling for a purpose other than what was permitted, from an Alert Level 4 or 3 area to Alert Level 2. - A maximum infringement fee of $12,000 or maximum criminal offence fine of $15,000 has also been introduced for body corporates who fail to have systems and processes in place in accordance with the Health Order.
