We Need You!
Waikato Food Inc launches campaign to get people vaccinated.
The hospitality industry continues to be one of the hardest hit by Covid 19 and it is clear that the government will only stop lockdowns (and versions of these that ultimately restrict social gatherings) when over 90% of the New Zealand population is vaccinated.
The Waikato Food Inc board want to do all we can to help our industry and we believe one of the best ways we can do that is to help speed up the vaccination rate in our region.
Thus, we are running the campaign – SHOT Waikato!
We’re encouraging eateries around the Waikato to send us a shot of their team who have all had the shot. We’re asking Waikato foodies to send us their shots of them having had the shot. To encourage people to get their shot and share their shots, we have a great line up of spot prizes including restaurant vouchers, chocolate, beer and more.
The Waikato currently lags behind the national average for both people having had both doses and those having only had one!
By far those aged between 12-44 are the least vaccinated group and it is this age group that is most likely to be working in the hospitality sector.
In the most recent MOH survey, 44% of respondents who will ‘definitely not’ get a vaccine say they don’t see the need to get a vaccine. We want to highlight the need for them to get vaccinated. Our industry is suffering, and we need to get that vaccination rate up to get back to normal! We need everyone who can to get vaccinated, so we can get back to being free to go out and socialise, meet friends at a bar, go to that concert and just get out of the house!
Gus Tissink from Bidfresh Hamilton says that vaccines are the key to getting hospitality back on its feet. “Hospitality is about the people in those businesses and the gathering of people to be social. By virtue COVID is anti social making the hospitality industry one of the most vulnerable.”
Local brewers, Good George have released a beer on the topic with the goal for it to be a “conversation starter to encourage those who are on the fence (or on the couch) to get vaccinated” says Dan from Good George. “We’re brewers, not vaccine experts. But we’ve listened to the experts and the evidence is clear,”
“Lockdowns are devastating for us all in the hospitality industry and they are an unwanted reality until we reach a higher level of vaccination, so we brewed this beer to shine a light on that and put a stake in the ground,” he added.
Send us your pics or post on social and tag us in @waikatofoodinc #shotwaikato
If you are an eatery or business who wants to pass it on please contact foodies@waikatofoodinc.com for details on how you can contribute/donate to the prizes.
