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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders to stick to efforts that show signs of success, warning that there will be no early easing of the closure rules.
The block will continue until the end of week four at least, with a final decision on whether or not to exit level 4 does not expire until April 20.
Ardern said a decision would not be made before that.
“We need to use the most up-to-date live data we have,” he said.
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He also poured cold water on other suggestions for things that quickly returned to normal.
Border restrictions would be in place for some time, and discussions have not started to lift them.
“I think New Zealanders should expect us to have border restrictions and controls for a long time,” he said.
Ardern offered some sympathy to those struggling with the shutdown.
“The third week may actually be the most difficult,” said Ardern. “We are reaching the curve, but we cannot see the finish line.”
But he urged New Zealanders to “please stay home, please stay in your bubble.”
She said Sports Minister Grant Robertson had recently told her that “you can’t waste a strong half-time lead by giving in or being overly confident”
FASTER BRADEN / MATERIAL
New Zealand is not in a position to leave Covid-19 alert level 4 early, despite low infection numbers, the prime minister says. But we can hope to learn more about what level 3 will look like this week.
The government’s efforts appear to be working, with only 19 new confirmed and probable cases confirmed since Sunday.
This is a dramatic drop from the high of 89 confirmed cases last Sunday. The total number of cases is now 1,349.
The number of people who have recovered from Covid-19 continues to grow faster than the number of new cases with 75 people who have recovered, bringing the total to 546.
But Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield also announced that another Covid-19 patient had passed away.
KEVIN STENT / STUFF
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will describe the government’s next steps to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The man was in his 80s and had resided at the Rosewood Nursing Home in Christchurch.
His death brings Covid-19’s death toll to 5.
“We need to be prepared for new serious illnesses and possible deaths,” said Bloomfield.
He also confirmed two more groups: one at an elderly care center in Auckland and another small outbreak in Auckland.
Liu Chen / RNZ
International arrivals at Auckland airport in March 2020.
There were fewer tests conducted over the Easter weekend, with only 1,660 tests processed on Sunday.
Bloomfield said he expected a drop in testing over Easter.
“This is a pattern that we see in terms of people seeking medical care on holidays, under normal circumstances, and therefore we have seen this happen during Easter,” he said.
He said the level 4 blockade meant that a whole range of respiratory illnesses like the flu and the common cold were unlikely to have a chance to spread between people.
That means that even few people will have symptoms that could lead to a Covid-19 test.
