Businesses across Auckland are crossing their fingers, toes, arms and legs that the city will move to alert level 3 this week.
The Government is due to deliver its decision on Monday afternoon on whether Auckland will drop levels.
As Auckland enters its sixth week in lockdown, one of the city's bar and restaurant owners says he's currently losing up to $20,000 a week.
Wynyard Quarter is one of Auckland's main dining precincts and is normally a hive of activity. But after five weeks in level 4, the street is a ghost town and it's taking its toll on restaurant owners.
Ofir Yudilevich owns one bar and three eateries in the Auckland CBD and like everyone in the hospitality industry he's struggling.
"I had half an hour of sleep last night," Yudilevich tells Newshub. "This level 3 has to come in and more importantly level 2."
Yudilevich is currently pumping up to $20,000 of his own money into his businesses each week.
Even with his business closed and not operating, there are still costs.
He recently wrote a post to the Government asking what it's doing to help these businesses stay open.
"We definitely will go bankrupt if we don't go to level 2 proper, not 2.5," Yudilevich says. "There is only so much money you can spend."
Business leaders say the city's businesses expect nothing else but a drop down to level 3 come midnight on Tuesday.
"I think anything other than a move to level 3 would really test the tolerance of Auckland businesses there, as their patience is at an all-time low," Auckland Business Chamber CEO Michael Barnett tells Newshub.
The Government says under level 3 the economy can operate at around 85 percent but Barnett says that doesn't give the true story as many businesses can't operate properly.
"Many of these can only operate at 50 to 75 percent," Barnett says. "For many of them, it hasn't been worth their while opening because of the low level they can operate at."
He says there should also be exemptions outside of usual level 3 rules so Auckland manufacturers can get supplies to the rest of the country which can't do business without it.
"I'm asking the Government to please think about the supply chain into the rest of New Zealand and be tolerant with businesses that try to contribute to that," Barnett tells Newshub.
Yudilevich is hoping the Government will change rules so that in level 2 100 people can dine at a premises as opposed to the current rule of 50 people.
"If we're doing 50 people and they're spending $40 each, that's $2000 dollars. Take away GST and that is not enough to cover staff, goods, rent, electricity," Yudilevich says.
For Yudilevich and many other restaurant owners, Delta could mean the death of their businesses.
Watch full story above.
