Covid 19 coronavirus: the move to level 1 in Auckland – experts say it is too early to relax all restrictions

Auckland goes to alert level 1 tomorrow night, but experts say it is too early to relax all restrictions and fear that kiwifruit Covid-19 complacency risks the infection spreading quickly if another outbreak hits the community.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also warned Aucklandites against complacency, begging people to scan QR codes with their smartphones, to stay home if they don’t feel well, and to get tested if they feel a little. sick.

Tier 1, which Auckland will move to tomorrow at 11:59 pm, means there are no limits on meeting sizes and the removal of social distancing requirements at restaurants and bars.

Skins are not needed at level 1, but Ardern said yesterday that people should feel free to wear them if it makes them feel more confident.

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Lesley Gray, a senior professor in the Department of Primary Health Care at the University of Otago, told the Herald that the use of masks on public transportation should be required at all alert levels.

Jacqui Maguire, a registered clinical psychologist, also expressed concern that the use of masks and collection sizes are not enforceable at level 1.

Only about a quarter of Kiwis were scanning QR codes using the NZ Covid Tracer app, Ardern said yesterday, and the number of scans had halved to a million in the past week from a peak of two million.

Dr Andrew Chen, a researcher at Koi Tū: The Center for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland, has been watching that trend with concern.

“As Auckland enters Tier 1, we may see an increase in mobility levels and we will see the return of larger group meetings.

“If Covid-19 returns to the community, they both increase the risk that the infection will spread rapidly and in ways that can be difficult to predict.”

Chen said that all kiwis had a role to play in protecting themselves and others, and one of the most important steps they could take was to track their movements.

“We can’t just start keeping records at the beginning of the next outbreak, we need records before it hits.

“Using the NZ Covid Tracer app is one of the most effective ways to keep track of your logs.”

Meanwhile, moving Auckland to alert level 1 last night instead of tomorrow would have saved an estimated $ 28.5 million in economic losses, says the Treasury.

It is understood that New Zealand First raised questions with the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday about the possibility of easing restrictions in Auckland starting at 11:59 pm last night.

Ardern said yesterday that he was not considering calling a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss that possibility because the cabinet had previously agreed that the city would be on alert level 2 for two weeks, or a full incubation period.

He said the Cabinet also wanted to see the latest test results from the most recent cases associated with a chartered flight from Christchurch to Auckland on September 11; the last of these cases tested positive on September 23.

He said there was a high level of confidence that those cases, as well as the pool of 179 cases, were contained, confirming Te Pūnaha Matahini’s model that there was a 95 percent probability that Covid-19 had been. removed.

There had been no new cases in the group for 12 days, and only six community cases have yet to recover.

Yesterday, there was a new case of Covid-19, but it was contained in managed isolation.

Ardern said indicators, including building permits and card spending, had been relatively high while restrictions in Auckland were in place, but acknowledged the economic pain for hospitality, retail, tourism and the arts in particular.

“When we quickly eliminate this virus, our economy can return to normal sooner.”

The Treasury estimated that the economy was operating between 90 and 94 percent with Auckland at Tier 2, it said.

A Treasury spokesman confirmed it was about $ 100 a week, or $ 14.28 a day.

An Auckland bar owner who was forced to sell his house to keep his businesses afloat and pay staff says that the move to alert level 1 cannot come soon enough.

Mat Jorgensen, owner of Ding Dong Lounge and Infinity Nightclub, was forced to choose between his businesses and his home during the second shutdown.

“They were two pretty screwed up situations, the best thing I thought about exercising for myself and my family was keeping the bars,” he said.

Ardern admitted yesterday that a greater number of daily tests in July could have detected the current outbreak earlier.

She said saliva tests, which are touted as much cheaper and capable of returning a result in 15 minutes, could be a game changer, but should be as reliable as the nasopharyngeal swab test.

Public health experts have said it could be useful in future outbreaks due to the rapid change compared to the current test, which can take days to return.

Ardern praised the kiwis, and Auckland residents in particular, for their efforts to eradicate the virus once again.

“I know that for many this has felt more difficult, especially for Aucklandites,” he said.

“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.”

– Additional info: Luke Kirkness