The Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday to extend Alert Level 4 to 11.59pm Monday April 27 is disappointing for some, says the former Business NZ chief executive.
Phil O’Reilly told TVNZ1’s Breakfast this morning the extension until after Anzac weekend doesn’t mean only two business days have been lost for some businesses.
“For some businesses, it’s more like five,” he said.
“Those businesses who are doing food service, maybe takeaway food, the weekend would have been a really big start for them.”
However, he said he hoped the lockdown measures now would be better in the long run and that businesses were “trying to support the Government right now”.
“Let’s hope the payback is that we’re only two weeks in [Alert] Level 3, then we can move down to Level 2 and Level 1.
“Because if we can achieve that, then the payback for that would be much bigger than these few days extra at Level 4.”
Mr O’Reilly said this was because public health was a core part of the economy and vice versa, meaning it was not so much a balancing act between health and economy.
“You need to take a holistic view across those various paradigms and say what’s the best way forward?”
He said employers were struggling, and the Government hadn’t yet helped small businesses with their cash flow to help with overhead costs like rent and equipment leases.
He said cash flow assistance was urgently required on top of wage subsidies.
Mr O’Reilly it may take “some years” for businesses to get back on track, and that the Government should support entrepreneurship.
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