New Zealand’s Prime Minister has suggested that a four-day workweek could help revitalize the country’s economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
Speaking Monday from the city of Rotura, Jacinda Ardern supported the idea of a shorter working week as a way to encourage domestic tourism while the nation’s borders remain closed to foreign visitors.
“The question for me is, how do we encourage Kiwis to … get out and about, and visit some of the amazing places and tourism offerings that we have,” she asked on Facebook Live.
“I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day workweek. Ultimately that really sits between employers and employees. But as I’ve said there’s just so much we’ve learnt about COVID and that flexibility of people working from home, the productivity that can be driven out of that,” Ardern went on.
She then encouraged employers to consider the option, “because it certainly would help tourism all around the country.”
Ardern said domestic tourism makes up about 60 percent of the industry, but New Zealanders spend about $9 billion (NZD) on tourism internationally.
“Think about exploring your backyard,” she said.
Ardern’s government quickly put in place some of the strictest restrictions in the world to stop the spread of the virus — and has been lauded for the swift response.
Last week, the South Pacific nation was able to relax many social distancing rules — reopening cafes, cinemas and malls that had been closed for at least two months.
There were 1,503 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country as of Wednesday and 21 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.