The Waikato beachside town of Raglan is waking up under an alert level 3 lockdown after a Covid-19 case popped up in the community.
Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles
The case is one of two detected in the Waikato yesterday, with another connected case in Hamilton East.
Raglan residents flocked to get tested yesterday, with photos on social media showing lines of cars snaking down roads.
But local business owners who had their hopes pinned on the school holiday influx are expecting to see their income go down the drain.
Raglan is a popular spot for Aucklanders escaping the big smoke for a seaside holiday on the West Coast.
Now with parts of Waikato under alert level 3 while Tāmaki Makaurau is heading into its eighth week in lockdown, a Raglan business owner was among those beginning to feel the pinch.
"It's a very stressful time. I hope it doesn't stay more than five days. Already we are struggling with no Aucklanders coming," he said.
The business owner - who did not want to be named - had hoped the school holidays would bring some relief.
"I thought my only hope was this two-week school holiday time. It might bring more people to town and I was looking forward to good business. But unfortunately it's not in our hands anymore."
He'd ordered in fresh supplies of fish in anticipation of the school holidays, but expected this would now go to waste.
The businessman said he and all of his staff had received two doses of the vaccine and would be getting a Covid-19 swab.
On Sunday, Waikato District Council Raglan ward councillor Lisa Thomson was on the ground helping out at the vaccination centre at Raglan Area School.
She was pleased with how people had responded so far.
"People have responded in a positive manner by coming to get vaccinated and going to get tested. I overall think that's a real positive for our community," Thomson said.
She believed local businesses would suffer under alert level 3, but the resilient community would get through.
"No time is a good time for this to happen, whether it's in the school holidays or not. It's exacerbated in the school holidays a little bit more obviously, but it is what it is."
Local MP Barbara Kuriger said her fingers were crossed the virus had not spread far and wide.
"There's a sense of 'Oh dear, there's now two [Covid-19 cases], what does that mean going forward'.'"
She said there was a sense of relief the cases were connected and thought the bump up to alert level 3 was the right call until more information was available and people had a chance to check the locations of interest.
At the same time, she knew many businesses would be hurting.
"Hospitality just doesn't work under level 3, no one is going to be going anywhere. Even during the recent level 2 restrictions there's way less traffic on the road during the night time.
"If you bump people into level 3 people are not going to go out and hospitality will truly suffer."
Kuriger said many locals were hoping to go down to alert level 1 soon, but she urged people to follow the rules until the Waikato cases are under control.
