Specsavers New Zealand stores will reopen on Thursday 14 May in line with the country’s Level 2 COVID-19 restrictions.

All 53 locally owned and operated stores within the NZ group, will be reopening their doors for all eye health services, including routine eye tests.

Due to the strict nature of the level 3 and 4 lockdowns, which have been in place since March 25, Specsavers stores were unable to open or see any patients, with all urgent eye care being referred to DHB hospitals.

In line with government guidelines to monitor the threat of COVID-19, stores will be implementing strict hygiene and social distancing measures and will be introducing three dedicated roles in store to help keep customers safe. These roles include someone to meet and greet customers at the front of the store to help manage the number of people in-store at any one time, someone who will be responsible for cleaning frames and surfaces in the retail space throughout the day, and someone who will be contacting patients with a pre-booked appointment to gather essential information prior to their visit to reduce the amount of time spent in store.

Anyone who is looking to visit a Specsavers store will be asked to call ahead or to book an appointment online to further assist us in managing customer flows within each store, and from a retail perspective, when glasses are ready to collect, customers will also be required to book a contactless express pick-up in store, or a collection and fitting appointment.

Additional precautions are being implemented in all stores to keep our team members, optometrists and customers safe. These include:

  • Hand sanitiser available for all team members and customers
  • All test rooms and dispensing desks will be disinfected prior to each patient
  • Frames and surfaces in the retail area will be cleaned throughout the day by a dedicated member of staff
  • Social distancing will be adhered to by staff members except at times during consultations when a distance of less than 1m is required, and in these circumstances, staff will comply with regulatory guidelines for health care professionals
  • All services, including those previously only available via a walk-in such as frame readjustments, will now have bookable appointments and customers are encouraged to book in advance
  • Anyone with a booked appointment will be contacted by telephone prior to coming into store to collect essential information to minimise time spent in store
  • Everyone who enters the store without an appointment will be required to share contact information in accordance with contact tracing guidelines
  • A limited number of people will be allowed in store at one time, depending on store size
  • Usage of PPE equipment by team members who are required to be within 1m of any patient classified as at-risk by the government.