Traffic-light life ‘so far, so good’

Day one of the new Covid-19 traffic light system meant more freedom for most people – provided they were double vaccinated.

The differences were subtle. New signs were displayed outside shops and cafes reminding people to show their vaccine pass.

Unlike the alert level system, which was introduced almost overnight last year, there has been a long lead-up to life under the orange setting. Most people have had time to get vaccinated and download or print off their vaccine pass.

For businesses there was a lot to do. Staff had to be trained in how to ask customers for their pass and what to do if they refused. Would turning away unvaccinated people be part of the new normal?

For most, the transition went without incident. At Linwood’s Eastgate Mall – which is in an area of Christchurch with a low vaccine rate – the foot traffic was steady.

At first glance it was business as usual, but the signage told a different story. Food court seating was ‘‘for vaccinated customers only’’. At the coffee stand, the unvaccinated could place an order by phone, then had to pay by eftpos and collect their order.

Westfield Mall in Riccarton felt busy and festive. Santa was there with a sack of presents, a red mask covering his bushy white beard.

At Muffin Break the queue was longer as people were asked to show their vaccine pass.

In central Christchurch, Rollickin Gelato’s Liam Donnelly said business was ‘‘so far, so good’’.

‘‘People are just excited that it is giving them a bit more freedom,’’ he said. ‘‘Realistically, for a lot of customers, it’s not a huge change. They are wearing their masks; they are scanning. It’s just an extra step.’’

In October, the Lotus-Heart restaurant in St Asaph St faced criticism for staff not wearing masks. The venue was busy yesterday afternoon, but it appeared staff were not asking to see customers’ vaccine passes. The restaurant was approached for comment.

At Riverside Market, most stalls were doing a roaring trade. But Mai Mergeling, head of sales at Cured Salami, said the rules were a little confusing because they differed depending on the type of business.

‘‘It’s not the lack of information. It’s the [lack of] clarity,’’ she said.

It would be easier if someone was on security at the entrances to check vaccine passes, she said.

At Underground Coffee Roasters, barista Lili Wolt said the first morning had gone well, and most people were ‘‘very compliant’’.

‘‘I do understand why some people are vaccinated, and I don’t like how it’s segregating people,’’ she said.

‘‘As soon as they come up we ask to see their vaccination passport and most people, ‘Say here you go.’ ’’

‘‘For a lot of customers, it’s not a huge change. They are wearing their masks; they are scanning. It’s just an extra step.’’

Liam Donnelly Rollickin Gelato

Nelson local Annabel Kemplen, 42, and Christchurch resident Sarah Payton, 42, were out on Christchurch’s popular Oxford Tce yesterday evening. They found the shift to the new system easy.

‘‘You show your pass, and then you can take your mask off and cruise around,’’ Kemplen said.

Payton said the only problem she had discovered was that she did not have a hard copy of her pass so would not be able to get in anywhere if her phone battery died.

Administration worker Rosie Gordon, 32, geologist Erin Varcoe, 31, and geologist Ben Ellis, 30, were starting their work Christmas party celebrations on Oxford Tce.

Varcoe said it was great to be in the orange setting, though she found it was similar to the protocols she had already been following.

‘‘It seems pretty good – everyone seems to be onto it,’’ Ellis said.

Not everyone was happy with the new measures. Several hundred people gathered at the Bridge of Remembrance to stage an hour-long vaccine-pass protest organised by Voices for Freedom. Many of the protesters who The Press approached declined to comment, though one woman said the group was not antivaccination but ‘‘pro-choice’’.

Canterbury metro area commander Superintendent Lane Todd said the day had been ‘‘seamless’’ from a policing perspective, with no concerns raised about compliance issues.