The roadmap for reopening work and retail

Proceeding onto the next phase is dependent upon several criteria including the progress of Covid-19 and testing and contact tracing. Photo: Jack Sparrow.

The roadmap to easing restrictions is across five phases starting May 18.

Retail

5 May 2020

On Tuesday, May 5, two restrictions put in place to protect the population from the spread of Covid-19 were changed to allow people to travel up to five kilometres from their home to exercise and to allow those who are cocooning to leave their homes for exercise so long as they avoid all contact with other people.

The changes were announced together with a roadmap to easing Covid-19 restrictions across the economy and society in general.

Below are the details of the five phases for economic activity (work); and retail, services, and commercial activities.

Economic activity (work)

Phase one, May 18

Permit phased return of outdoor workers (e.g. construction workers, gardeners, including people working on allotments). Social distancing requirements continue to apply.
Continue to maintain remote working for all workers / businesses that can do so.

Phase two, June 8

Permit phased return of workers, such as solitary and other workers that, due to nature of work, can maintain a two-metre distance constantly. Social distancing requirements continue to apply.

Continue to maintain remote working for all workers / businesses that can do so. Organisations to develop plans for return to onsite working by employees in light of COVID-19 considering:

Social distancing compliance.
Hygiene and cleaning.
Compliance in higher risk situations.
plans for medically vulnerable / pregnant etc.
extended opening hours to enable social distancing.

State to develop mechanism for supporting, advising on, assessing, regulating planning for return to onsite working by organisations.

Phase three, June 29

Organisations where employees have low levels of daily interaction with people and where social distancing can be maintained.
Continue to maintain remote working for all workers / businesses that can do so.

Phase four, July 20

Organisations where employees cannot remote work to be considered first for return to onsite working arrangements.
Depending on business, shift work, staggeredhours etc should be operated to increase % of workforce available for work in any 24-hour period, as long as they can limit the number of workers interacting with each other.
Continue to maintain remote working for all workers / businesses that can do so.

Phase five, August 10

Phased “return to onsite working” arrangement.
‘Higher risk’ organisations which by their nature cannot easily maintain social distancing implement plans for how they can eventually progress towards onsite return of full staff complement.

Retail, personal services, and commercial activities

Phase one, May 18

Open retail outlets that are primarily outdoor (e.g. garden centres, hardware stores, farmers markets).
Open retail outlets that were open in Tier 2 (e.g. homeware, opticians, motor, bicycle & repair, office products, electrical, IT, phone sales & repair etc.).

Retailers to develop plan for safe operation and protection of staff and customers considering:

Social distancing compliance.
Hygiene and cleaning.
Compliance in higher risk situations.
Extended opening hours to enable social distancing.

Phase two, June 8

Small retail outlets with small number of staff on basis that the retailer can control number of individuals that staff and customers interact with at any one time.
Open marts where social distancing can be maintained.

Phase three, June 29

Phase in opening of all other non-essential retail outlets on basis of restriction on the number of staff and customers per square metre so that social distancing can be maintained. To be limited to retail outlets with street-level entrance and exit i.e. which are not in enclosed shopping centres due to higher risk.

Phase four, July 20

Commence loosening restrictions on higher risk services involving direct physical contact for periods of time between people and for which there is a populationwide demand (e.g. hairdressers, barbers).

Phase five, August 10

Opening of enclosed shopping centres where social distancing can be maintained.
Further loosening of restrictions on services involving direct physical contact for periods of time between people for which there is not a population-wide demand (e.g. tattoo, piercing) for later phases due to risk.