Food, post, home delivery, over-the-counter medicine and local gossip — as managers of Omakau Supermarket, partners Khushbu Dayma and Hardik Vaghela are, for now, the centre of the community. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYOmakau Supermarket is an oasis for a small Central Otago township otherwise in lockdown. Khushbu Dayma said she was following "stay-at-home" rules while her partner, Hardik Vaghela, manned the only essential service business in the rural service township of 250. With the nearby cafe and several pubs in the immediate area closed, the supermarket was the only place people could go. The couple came to New Zealand from India five years ago, and moved to Omakau to manage the store for its Auckland-based owner a year ago.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 13, 2020 16:30 UTC