Auckland businesses are begging residents not to leave in droves when the borders reopen next week.
The period is usually a quiet time for the city's restaurants and retailers but after four months of lockdown many are hoping to make up for lost time.
"We have bled enough, we expect the city should be buzzing, that is what Auckland is known for, but the fact of the matter is that i would not be surprised if I see the city as a ghost city" says Jaz Singh from restaurant, Parnell 149.
Places like Parnell 149 have only been open for a week-and-a-half under the traffic light system, they usually shut for the Christmas break but many need to stay open in order to try and get people through the doors.
"This year things have changed drastically, there is just a hope for us that we can recover some of the losses of the past, so we can get a chunk come in," says Singh.
Other hospitality workers say they are worried about the increasing number of empty buildings in Parnell.
"There were 20 empty buildings on this side of the street before lockdown, there are now 27 empty buildings on this side of the street" says Paul Patterson from Va Bene.
"Because of the spacing and the numbers we're just over half-capacity, so it's a little bit frustrating as a small business" he says.
Auckland's Central Business Association says they are pushing for a move to Orange when Cabinet meets on Monday.
"I think if we stay at Red we are going to see a lot more business closures and we're going to see a lot of job losses, I think it will be very grim," says Heart of the City's Viv Beck.
She says it will ensure more events go ahead in our biggest city and may even attract more visitors from outside of Auckland.
"We hope there will be people coming as well, coming to see family and friends for Christmas. it will be a beautiful time to come here, we are highly vaccinated."
Cabinet is set to make a decision on Monday regarding the country's current Covid-19 restrictions.
SHARE ME