Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland to go to level 1 on Wednesday night – Jacinda Ardern

Auckland will go to alert level 1 on Wednesday at 11:59 pm, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

That means there are no limits to gatherings and the removal of social distancing requirements at restaurants and bars.

Masks are not required on public transportation at alert level 1, but Ardern urged people to be vigilant: washing their hands, staying home if they are sick, scanning QR codes and getting tested if they even feel a little sick.

“I don’t want anyone to think that because we are at level 1, Covid is now absent from New Zealand.”

Safety measures like staying home when sick were “acts of public service,” he said.

What led to the Prime Minister’s decision on the march

Ardern said Cabinet met via Zoom today to review Auckland’s alert level.

The Auckland group was the largest in New Zealand, but all signs pointed to it being under control, he said.

There had been no new cases in the group for 10 days, and only one case in the last two weeks.

Only five people in the cluster have yet to recover from Covid-19.

There was now a 95 percent chance that the cluster had been removed, according to the new Te Pūnaha Matahini model.

A separate group of cases, which was linked to a person who tested negative twice in isolation before testing positive, had shown how new cases could be identified, tracked, tested and contained without any change in alert levels or restrictions, Ardern said.

Twelve days had passed since cases associated with that group had occurred and, with only one positive case remaining, the Government was confident that it would also be contained.

Ardern Warning

Ardern said a resurgence of the virus was not New Zealand’s only concern – resurgence of complacency was also a problem.

QR scanners had been cut in half from their peak at the height of the current outbreak, he said.

Businesses still need to display QR codes at level 1, he said.

It was also important not to become complacent with testing, Ardern said.

Low testing rates in July, during Level 1 freedoms, could be part of the reason the outbreak was not detected earlier, he said.

Level 1 required everyone to be vigilant and play their part.

He reiterated that anyone who feels ill should stay home. And people should keep scanning places through the contact tracker app.

Ardern said some progress had been made in alternative Covid testing methods, including a saliva test that could make a difference at the border.

Many countries were looking for a form of surveillance and detection, but New Zealand needed very high-sensitivity testing due to its elimination approach.

‘A test of our plan’

Ardern said the stakes were high with the Covid-19 resurgence in Auckland.

“It was a test of our plan,” he said.

New Zealand responded well again, he said.

“I know that for many, this has felt more difficult, especially for the locals of Auckland.

“Despite that, Auckland residents and New Zealanders stuck to the plan that has already worked twice and beat the virus again.

“Our team of five million, a little more battle-weary this time, did what our national teams do so often: we hung our heads and moved on.”

He pointed to the increase in cases abroad, including 12,000 new cases in the UK on Saturday and restrictions on meetings of up to six people.

These overseas restrictions were largely absent in New Zealand, and the economy was returning to full capacity, he said.

Consent creation, exports, card spending and traffic showed the economy was doing well, he said.

However, the past few months have been very challenging, especially for the arts, retail, hospitality and tourism, he said.

New Zealand was still well placed compared to other countries in terms of Covid restrictions.

Auckland Mayor Alert Level 1 Message

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has welcomed the Government’s decision.

“Auckland residents have come together for the second time to successfully stop community transmission of Covid-19 and I want to thank them for the sacrifices they have made to achieve this result,” he said.

“This is great news for businesses, who will be able to return to trading normally at level 1, providing a positive boost to the economy. It is also great news for Auckland residents, who can enjoy meeting friends and family and attend important events normally. ” Goff said.

“I encourage everyone to get out there and support local businesses, cafes and restaurants and make the most of all that our beautiful city has to offer.

“The Elemental Festival is in full swing, with over 40 events in Auckland, and the Diwali Festival will light up the region from October 27 to November 14.

A new case of isolation managed today

He said yesterday that the earliest Auckland could move to level 1, if the Cabinet deems it safe enough, would be Wednesday because the law requires the necessary government order to be posted for at least 48 hours before it takes effect.

It has just been revealed that there is only one case of Covid in New Zealand at present, in managed isolation.

Today marks 11 days since the last case in the community.

This morning, public health experts, including Professor Michael Baker, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago, said it was safe to ease restrictions but cautioned against complacency.

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Baker has advocated for a level 1.5, with the use of masks in public transport and airplanes, and for stricter border measures, including a quarantine period before departure and a negative test for travelers arriving in New Zealand from countries. high-risk.

Last week, the Health Ministry asked travelers to refrain from partying and stay home for the fifteen days before their flight back to New Zealand.

This morning, the Cabinet will have considered several factors, including the most recent cases, the nature of those cases, the effectiveness of contact tracing, the strength of border controls and the ability to keep evidence numbers high.

You will also have considered the impact on the economy and the public appetite for continued compliance.

On Saturday, University of Auckland professor Shaun Hendy told the Herald that there was a more than 95 percent chance that Covid-19 would be eliminated.

There has not been a case outside of the quarantine or managed isolation facility since September 24, and there has not been a case in the community that has not been isolated since September 20.

Yesterday there were five new cases, all in isolation. Of the 41 active cases, seven were community cases.

No one was in the hospital with Covid-19.

It has been almost eight weeks since the current outbreak was first detected, and since then the group has grown to 179 cases, the largest in the country.

The source of the cluster is still unknown.

There have also been several cases outside the group, including two families who became infected after a man who did not know he had Covid-19 boarded a charter flight from Christchurch to Auckland.

The outbreak also saw alleged transmission from surfaces, including from an elevator at the Rydges Hotel and a common dumpster at the Crowne Plaza in Christchurch.