Covirus 19 coronavirus: Simon Bridges says blocking work was not done by government

National leader Simon Bridges says the government’s decision to extend the level 4 blockade shows that it has not done the preliminary work necessary to make sure the country is ready for the next step.

He said the decision “will certainly see an increase in mental health problems and stress-related illnesses.”

His comments came moments after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the government will extend the blockade until next week.

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She told the media this afternoon that New Zealand will exit alert level 4 at 11:59 a.m. on April 27, next Monday.

The country will remain at level 3 for two more weeks, Ardern said.

After that, New Zealand will move to level 2 “if it is safe to do so,” Ardern said.

“We have done what very few countries have been able to do: we have stopped a wave of devastation,” he said.

Bridges said the government’s decision means that one of the world’s strictest blockades has been extended. It was still more restrictive than what was happening in Australia, which is at level 3.

“Medicine is worse than cure.

“It is a blockage, or close to it, in other words.”

Australia has “as good” health outcomes as New Zealand, despite its more relaxed lockdown.

He was critical of the government’s level of preparedness.

“Unfortunately, the government has not done enough and is not prepared for its own standards and rhetoric.”

He said that the public has done a great job of self-isolation and social distancing.

“The entire country has made great sacrifices to ensure that the four-week blockade was effective,” he said.

But he said New Zealand has been delayed because the government has not used the shutdown period to ensure best testing and tracing practices.

And there are a number of problems with contact tracking.

He said that what New Zealand is looking at is a level 3.9, not a level 3.

“The testing rate for the first half of the bull run was low, work has just started on surveillance testing to confirm if community transmission is occurring.

“Tracing is the biggest challenge and experts have identified the main deficiencies in the methods used by the government.”

He also said that the availability of EPP has not been as standard as it should have been.

“I urge the government to move as quickly as possible,” he said when it comes to issues related to the PPE.

He said the decision to extend the blockade will hurt many companies across the country. Tens of thousands of workers will be out of a job due to this decision.

“Now I am concerned that the harm from being locked up is greater than if we were to go out. We will certainly see an increase in mental health problems and stress-related illnesses.”

The decision to extend the blockade over the weekend is bad news for the companies, which would have negotiated a lot over the weekend.

“Every day counts for small businesses.”

Several experts have been saying for weeks that the government needed to do a better job on things like community policing.

Going forward, there are some “very serious” questions for New Zealand economy ministers to answer about how this extension of the blockade will affect the economy.

“We will ask about the effect of another week of confinement,” he said, when asked what the focus of his Epidemic Committee will be this week.

Meanwhile, ACT leader David Seymour said the government has made the right decision.

But the Government’s focus must now be on supporting the narrow range of sectors that remain severely restricted at Alert Level 3.

“Sectors such as tourism, hospitality, some retail stores and event centers will now be the most affected by a broader public benefit,” it said in a statement.

“In these circumstances, there is a stronger case for support targeting those sectors that cannot operate even at Alert Level 3.”

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