Covid 19 coronavirus: businesses remain ‘painfully empty’ in Auckland CBD after lockdown is lifted

By Jean Bell of RNZ

It has been three weeks since Auckland joined the rest of the country at alert level 1, but some businesses in the CBD say they are still on the road because customers have not returned with greater freedom.

The region jumped back to Level 1 on October 7 after a second Covid-19 outbreak triggered another lockdown.

Sunny Kaushal manages the Shakespeare Hotel and Brewery in the city center and is also the spokesperson for a group of business owners along Albert St.

I was expecting a boom on the Tuesday after Labor weekend, but the seats were left painfully empty with just one customer at lunchtime.

Kaushal said that business on Albert St has been hit by a double whammy from Covid-19 and the construction of the City Rail Link – his business has lost nearly $ 2 million in recent years due to construction disruption.

“It has been very, very difficult.”

Kaushal believes that it is necessary to organize more events and festivals in the city to attract people to the city center, as he did not expect much from the America’s Cup.

“Unless and until international borders are opened, the city of Auckland will not return to normal.”

Some more affected than others.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Barnett said some businesses on Queen St were being hit harder than others, those to the west side of the central city being the hardest hit.

“Some say that [foot] traffic is down 40 percent, but if you look at the city in general, the trend is in the right direction. “

He said that construction in the CBD is a major hurdle for businesses and has seen the area littered with “beads and cones.”

Barnett said there must be a plan to revitalize the city and that it would make a big difference if the workers returned to the CBD offices.

Sunny, a retail worker for Kiwi Souvenirs on Queen St, said the business has been dead since the first shutdown.

He said this week had been quiet, after a small number of outside visitors over Labor weekend.

Since the borders remain closed, she is also not holding her breath from the rush of summer, unless international visitors choose to buy souvenirs to send home.

Sunny said there are other souvenir shops on the same ship, but if they were located on a side street they would be suffering even more.

She expected business to pick up a bit when the America’s Cup begins in March.

Meanwhile, Jo McColl, owner of Unity Books on High St, said business collapsed due to a “tsunami” of customers when the region went to alert level 2.5.

He said business was doing well and back to normal, and that people were starting to buy their Christmas gifts early.