As Auckland heads into a new Level 3 in response to
community transfer of Covid-19, a lot of questions remain
unanswered for the business community, Road Transport Forum
(RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett says. “People are
flooding to supermarkets which will put pressure on the
supply chain, that is, the trucks that get the products to
the supermarkets and other shops where people are heading
for essential supplies,” Leggett says. “But we are unclear
how trucks are going to flow in and out of Auckland with
stops at the entry/exit borders to the city. “Long delays in
traffic present a number of issues for the supply chain.
These include potential damage to perishable goods, health
and safety considerations for drivers who are restricted by
the hours they can work, and missing deadlines to ports and
airports for exports and imports. “All these things will
have impacts to a wide range of businesses already
struggling economically from the effects of Covid-19. What
happens in Auckland impacts the whole country. “BusinessNZ
head Kirk Hope is calling on the Government for more
information for business and I back that call. “We could
forgive hiccups the first time around, but allegedly the
Government has a plan. We need to see that plan before there
is mayhem at the
shops.”
