[ad_1]
Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted and school is almost over for a fortnight, much to the delight of mayors at New Zealand’s tourist hotspots, where there is hope that the holidays will boost coffers in the struggling tourism sector. .
“Go ahead, go ahead,” said David Trewavas, mayor of the Taupō district, an area in the center of the North Island that is home to some of the country’s most famous skiing and hiking activities. “You can even have a massive gathering here.”
He added: “Hopefully the [Ministry of] The health guys have it all under control, and I’m sure they have it. “
The removal of restrictions in New Zealand highlights the dilemma of governments trying to balance the calls of struggling companies to allow them more freedom, with the views of health experts, many of whom have called for more caution. .
Some epidemiologists are denouncing the government’s decision to ease restrictions for Auckland and remove them for the rest of the country, after a week with no reported community transmission in the country’s largest city.
“We cannot be sure that things are over in Auckland,” said Nick Wilson, associate professor at the University of Otago in Wellington. “It seems to be rushing and not taking a cautious long-term perspective.”
It is not the first time that New Zealand has accepted a return to life largely as usual. In June, the country fell to “level 1” rules, with strict border controls, after the virus appeared to have been eliminated from the community following one of the strictest closures in the world, in March and April.
New Zealand had enjoyed 100 days without the community spread of Covid-19 before a group, whose origin remains unknown, emerged in Auckland, sending the city into a second lockdown. Sometimes that meant only essential workers were allowed to enter or leave the city of more than 1.5 million, putting further pressure on already failing tour operators.
“I know the level of national reserves is pretty strong and we look forward to a busy October school break,” said Jim Boult, Mayor of Queenstown Lakes, one of the most popular tourist spots in the country.
“But the bottom line is that international tourism is gone,” he said. Only New Zealanders and their families can enter the country unless an exemption is made.
“Currently tea leaves are telling me that we won’t see the Australian market return until the second quarter of next year,” Boult added, referring to a proposed trans-Tasmanian “bubble” that would allow travelers between New Zealand and Australia to avoid time. quarantined. “The trick for us is to give companies the ability to keep their noses above the financial level.”
Air New Zealand said its school vacation schedule had increased to 90% from its pre-coronavirus levels. The airline would offer 1,000 more one-way flights during the fortnight than during the last school holidays in July.
There would be more than 73,000 seats available in and out of Queenstown, a number that Boult “loved”.
Among those who will flock to travel will be Aucklandites, whose movements slowed more than the rest of the country during the second shutdown, and who are still limited to gatherings of fewer than 100 people in their hometown. Of the 61 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, 29 are returning travelers and 32 are in the Auckland community. There have been no new community cases in eight days.
Mayors who spoke to The Guardian said they weren’t worried about Auckland residents packing their bags to head to their regions.
Tenby Powell, Mayor of Tauranga, said: “The next two weeks are going to be very important that we welcome our brothers and sisters from Auckland to the west of the Bay of Plenty.”
The new Tier 1 configuration across much of New Zealand means masks are no longer required in public transport and there are no limits on pickup sizes. But Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, has urged people to use the government’s contact tracing app, stay home if they’re sick and observe hygiene practices.
But Wilson, the epidemiologist, worried it wasn’t enough.
“We would recommend a level 1.5 that still has things like the use of masks in public transport and an upper limit on the size of events,” he said. New Zealand did not have the digital technology that other countries, such as South Korea, had used to support their contact tracing, she added.
“Obviously the government ignored that for some reason, presumably putting more weight on allowing companies to maximize their revenue and recovery,” he said. “This is understandable, but probably the wrong short-term perspective.”
Some mayors disagreed.
“We have had a government that has listened to epidemiologists and public health officials who have taken a cautious approach and placed us in one of the best positions in the world,” Tim Cadogan, mayor of downtown Otago, told RNZ. “If they say it’s okay, then I’m on board.”
After an early and strict New Zealand shutdown in March and April, the country’s total number of cases is still less than 1,500, with 25 deaths.
