Covirus 19 coronavirus: PM Jacinda Ardern mocks New Zealand details under Alert Level 3

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* The death toll in New York State exceeds 10,000, which represents more than half of all deaths in the US. USA
* Worldwide, there are or have been 1.88 million cases of Covid-19, with more than 117,000 deaths
* New Zealand, with five deaths, appears to be on track to beat the virus, with only 19 new cases yesterday and 75 recoveries
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* Latest developments and essential information

Police expect “more businesses are operating” below Alert Level 3, and officers will focus their attention on those who deliberately break the rules, says Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.

The government will provide highly anticipated details this week about what New Zealand can expect when the country returns to Alert Level 3, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

And she seems determined to avoid the confusing and conflicting statements that left many kiwis confused when the country closed down nearly three weeks ago.

Ardern told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking today that the government was working with the retail and hospitality sectors, and would be working with the primary industries as well, what tiers 3 and 2 would look like.

Coster told Hosking that while the details of alert level 3 were still being worked on, “we would expect to see a greater number of businesses operating.”

He recognized that this would lead to more workers traveling on the roads, and the attention of the police would focus on people who clearly break the rules, such as large gatherings. “Companies will also have some conditions on how they are expected to operate.”

Ardern rejected any suggestion that the government should ease the early closure.

“Just remember, one case can lead to a massive outbreak. What matters is not just the numbers but what they tell us,” he told Hosking.

“If we have cases where we don’t know where they came from, we have to make sure there is no iceberg underneath.”

He said he did not want to waste the good work of New Zealanders in the last three weeks of confinement.

Ardern said the government will provide some guidance on what alert level 3 and 2 would look like this Thursday.

The cabinet will decide next week whether New Zealand will drop to Alert Level 3 on Thursday of next week (approximately 10 days).

New Zealand was at alert level 3 for just a couple of days before going to alert level 4 20 days ago.

The level three orientation included restrictions on travel, public gatherings, and the closure of affected educational facilities.

Specifically, he said that alert level 3 was designed for a scenario where there was a “greater risk that the disease was not contained.”

He said travel in community broadcast areas was limited, affected public places and educational facilities would be closed, mass meetings would be canceled, alternative forms of work would be required, and some nonessential businesses would be closed.

But going back from alert level 4, however, will be different.

Ardern said yesterday that alert level 3 should be considered a “waiting room”.

“A place we moved to that allows a little more activity, but not so much that we risk losing all the gains we’ve made,” he said.

“This is the place we go to as we verify that we really have everything under control and that we are on our way to eliminate the virus.”

With only 19 new cases and 75 recoveries reported yesterday, Ardern seemed optimistic but warned New Zealanders not to be complacent.

“Our number of cases may be small, but that does not mean that we have still been successful in searching for the virus.”

He reiterated that border restrictions would be in place for “a long time to come.”

Ardern said the government will provide clarity on Alert Level 3 for business, transportation, health, recreation and education.

She said the government will provide “the principles of what we hope to see in different settings and what can and cannot happen, and then examples.”

“We will provide as much detail as possible so that companies know and understand whether or not they can open, and if they can, what is expected of them.”

Ardern told Hosking today that the government will also introduce more assistance for small and medium-sized businesses this week.

The wage subsidy scheme was one step, but the government recognized that there were many other fixed costs for these companies, including commercial income, he said.

Ardern also confirmed that Cabinet discussions were taking place to help New Zealand media companies, which were hit by a big drop in advertising revenue.

He did not go into detail, but said the pandemic had demonstrated the importance of a media industry that provided reliable news and information. “We need to make sure that [media firms] they are also viable after the coronavirus. “

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The Treasury will reveal the country’s updated unemployment rate today, which is expected to show that the number of unemployed has risen to double digits.

The announcements come when Ashley Bloomfield, general director of health, confirmed yesterday that a fifth person had died as a result of Covid-19.

The man, in his 80s, was a resident of Rosewood Rest Home in Christchurch.
Ardern said Covid-19’s fifth death serves as a reminder to New Zealand of “why we are doing what we are doing.”

“It is a timely reminder that our battle with this virus is far from over,” he said.

Today is the 20th day of closure and New Zealand has 1,349 confirmed and probable cases.

Although the number of deaths has slowly increased, and is expected to increase further, the number of new confirmed cases each day has decreased.

There were only 19 new cases yesterday, one more on Saturday the 18th and 10 fewer on the Friday the 29th.

In fact, yesterday there were four times as many people who had recovered from Covid-19 who contracted the virus during the same 24-hour period.

The small number of new cases was “encouraging,” said Bloomfield.

Ardern said that due to people’s collective efforts to end Covid-19, New Zealand was in a position that many other countries were not.

The death toll in the UK has exceeded 10,000, and is double that in the United States.

After yesterday’s briefing and while answering questions in a live video, Bloomfield revealed a measure that could change at Alert Level 3: the rules that prevent people from being with dying family members.

“I can say that this is something that we are seeing and [it] it will certainly be something we want to give advice on, especially as part of a step towards level 3 restrictions. “

Today, the Treasury will unveil a number of important economic measures, including the unemployment rate, the expected level of future GDP growth, and the resilience of the economy.

Treasury Secretary Caralee McLiesh previously said New Zealand’s unemployment rate could probably reach “double digits.”

Tomorrow, Finance Minister Grant Robertson will describe new measures to help companies during the shutdown, as well as the government’s “revised Budget Approach”, which is still due on May 14.

Meanwhile, Ardern continues to urge New Zealanders to stay home and stay within their bubbles.

“The third week may actually be the most difficult, we are reaching the curve but we cannot see the finish line,” said Ardern.

“As the Minister of Sports recently told me, we cannot miss out on a strong part-time advantage by giving in or being overconfident.”

And she had a message for those who get discouraged by breaking the blocking rules.

“It would take a case between you to have an outbreak that could lead to dozens of infections and possibly death.”

She said New Zealand does not take this challenge lightly “and neither should you.”

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website