Government clarifies: Warehouse to shut, dairies stay open
MBIE deputy chief executive Paul Stocks said the purpose of escalating New Zealand's Covid-19 alert level to 4 was to stop the virus in its tracks and reduce contact between people. "That's why we need as many businesses as possible to close their premises now if our one shot at beating the virus is to be successful," Stocks said. "Only the businesses absolutely essential to ensure the necessities of life, like supermarkets and pharmacies, can stay open. If in doubt, the business premises should be closed." He said that meant the Warehouse needed to close its stores. Stocks said "big box" retailers like Bunnings, PlaceMakers and Mitre 10 can stay open to trade customers for essential purposes only. "These retailers play an important part in the construction supply chain, but they cannot sell goods to the general public." Dairies can continue to operate, but must ensure strict physical distancing rules for customers. Stocks said dairies sold basic food items like bread and milk, often to the elderly who may not be able to get to a supermarket. "If any dairy breaks the rules, we will shut it down. If there is evidence of systemic abuse, we will remove them from the essential services list." All restaurants, cafes and bars must close all aspects of their operation, including delivery. That means food delivery services like Uber Eats and Deliver Easy cannot operate either, however, the delivery of food that is not pre-cooked will be allowed. "We are doing further work on online ordering of non-food products for home delivery to see if this type of retail can be conducted safely. We will update advice on this once further decisions are made," Stocks said. Liquor stores will also need to close, except where they operate in licensing trust areas. Businesses that are a critical part of the supply chain for essential services are also able to continue operating, but must do so in a way that is safe. "For example, if you make chemicals that are needed for our waste-water plants, then we need you to keep operating at the minimum level required." Stocks said there would be significant limits on what people could buy, however, the list could be adapted if it was found some essential services needed to be made available. Stocks confirmed that smaller shops - including fruit and vegetable store operators - would be closed during the month-long lockdown. Butchers were also not considered an essential service and would be closing their doors after today too.
Full details on essential services:
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***Dairies to stay open, with "one-in one-out" rule
***Food delivery prohibited, except meals on wheels and delivery of food not pre-cooked
***Liquor stores closed, unless within a Licensing Trust Area and with "one-in one-out" rule
***Self-service laundries can stay open, two-metre physical distancing to be enforced
***Retirement villages included as an essential service
***The Warehouse to close stores to the public
***Bunnings, PlaceMakers, Mitre 10 and other retailers essential to the supply chain for building and construction can stay open for trade customers for essential purposes only
***The Tiwai Point smelter exempt from closure
***NZ Steel shut down in a way that allows for production to recommence easily
***Pulp and paper plants to shut down non-essential elements in a way that allows for production to recommence easily while maintaining essential production
***Methanex to remain in production, but at a scale consistent with stability of gas supply.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.5% Yes
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48.6% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Why make picking up reserved library books harder? What do you think? Challenge: Write the last stanza for the first poem attached below.
Once books are reserved in Auckland Libraries books, when they are available no longer go alphabetically by customer but instead go into a Holds pickup shelf number based presumably somehow on when each book needs to be picked up by.
I had two books reserved that arrived on two different days in the Blockhouse Bay Library and hence each book has a different shelf number. Hard to find unless you knew the shelf number in the notification email. Even if you knew the shelf number I found myself three books by the same author on the two shelf numbers.
More recently yesterday a book I reserved was on a different shelf number than was specified in my notification email (see image below).
Sadly it is clear from library staff that a numerical system for reserves is here to stay.
I suggest that so that all books for each person has the same shelf number, the shelf number becomes the last digit of a person's library card (0-9).
Within each shelf number a book is found under the day the reserve arrives in the library (01 to 31, hopefully the same date the email is sent).
Since a customer appears to have 10 days to pick up a book, ten days of the month would appear to be required at any time (for each digit 0-9).
Once there are 10 days used the next day's reserves could go back at the beginning of the shelf number after any remaining books not collected (hopefully none) are removed (along with the old day number and the new day number (01 to 31) inserted) after the last day available and future days' books remaining moved forward to make room.
Each day number (01-31) would appear once for each shelf number (0-9) before the first book on that day- perhaps cover an old withdrawn book with paper with each day number on the spine?
When a reserved book arrives in the library the last digit of the library card could be placed on a piece of paper in the book to be removed when it is put on the shelf, to be recycled the next day.
What do you think?
See the image below and page 3 below for a letter appearing in the Western Leader on 9 September:
www.neighbourly.co.nz...
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