BUSINESS SUPPORT

Business owners might have expected the Government to announce a vaccine mandate, but not all of them know what they will do next.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday that vaccines would now be mandatory for staff at any business where vaccine passports were required for customers, such as hospitality, hairdressers and gyms.

Co-owner of Koha Fitness in central Christchurch, Tarina Stephens, said as a gym owner she understood vaccination meant freedom, and said she was vaccinated. ‘‘But I also believe individuals have a choice.’’

She said not many details about the new mandate that businesses could follow through on had been made available yet, but she felt too much of the onus was now placed on business owners.

She had not yet decided whether the gym would require patrons to have a vaccine certificate.

‘‘We’ve already got members asking us what our decision will be. [But] we’re going to lose customers no matter what.

‘‘I think it’s such a hard time to be in business. We’re just regular people doing our best ... to take care of our people.’’

Many of Canterbury’s leading hospitality owners said they had already been asking staff to get jabbed prior to the announcement.

This included central city landlord Antony Gough, who oversees most of the bars and restaurants on Oxford Tce including Amazonita, Botanic, The Craft Embassy and Chihuahua.

Gough said he ‘‘fully supports’’ a vaccine mandate for both customers and staff at hospitality venues. ‘‘We felt this was coming, and I’m pleased the Government has made a move and stopped fluffing around.’’

He had suggested to his tenants that all should require customers and staff to be jabbed even prior to the announcement. He said none had come back to him with any concerns.

The Grand chief executive Darin Rainbird will have the final say on vaccine mandates for all of his tenants, staff and customers when the hospitality hub opens in February. He and all staff he’d hired so far were fully vaccinated, and in the event of another lockdown, The Grand would become an essential service to allow it to continue operating.

Former Christchurch chef of the year Simon Levy said staff at his restaurants Inati and Hali were double jabbed or had at least one dose.

‘‘We speak openly about these things. Everyone’s allowed their opinion, but if we want to get back to normal we need to work together and get vaccinated.’’

Nearly half of the seating at Levy’s restaurants could not be used with the current restrictions, and vaccinations would allow for those restrictions to be relaxed, he said. ‘‘Christmas is around the corner and that’s a massive time for hospitality. We need to get vaccinated.’’

None of Levy’s staff had raised concerns about getting vaccinated so far, he said.

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce had been advocating for clarity and certainty around business rules, and the vaccine mandate announcement provided that, chief executive Leann Watson said.

‘‘We endorse this because of the clarity it gives our business owners,’’ she said.