Bars and restaurants in Auckland may be starting alert level 1 on the backfoot with possibly only a few hours to prepare for a Friday night capacity crowd.
Cabinet has already made the decision but the Prime Minister won't announce it until 11:30am on Friday.
That's leaving hospitality in the lurch - not able to risk ordering lots of food and drink for a big night out - just in case level 1 is delayed.
Jordan Bond reports.
