Business will do everything to keep workplaces safe and healthy, but need Government to act constructively to the
critical worker shortages by allowing household contacts of cases who test negative to return to work and hurry up with
the reset to bring in overseas skills.
“This is a winter of discontent, not just a second wave of the virus, and government can help ease the pressure from the
prolonged and severe worker shortages to keep businesses operating with less disruption across retail, hospitality,
light manufacturing, tourism, education and construction,” says Auckland Business Chamber CEO, Michael Barnett.
“It makes no sense to keep healthy, Covid-free people sitting at home when they can do the right thing, use a rapid
antigen test to prove they are negative and get back to work.
“If government really understands the environment we have to operate in, they will speed up visas for workers we want
and keep people able to work, working.