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New Zealanders will soon know if they will have to endure longer at coronavirus alert level 2 or 2.5, or if levels will drop.
The announcement will be made by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday at 1 p.m., but it comes after a new and curious case of Covid-19 came to light.
The case is that of a recent returnee who completed the isolation managed in Christchurch and obtained two negative tests.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
Dr. Olu De Rozario tests a woman for Covid-19 at a testing center in Auckland.
He returned home to Auckland on September 11, but began to feel ill on September 16.
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Since then, two domestic contacts have tested positive, but the case seems relatively contained.
The rest of the country is expected to drop to alert level 1 starting Monday at 11:59 pm if it is safe to do so, but Auckland’s fate remains unknown.
Here’s what could change after Ardern’s announcement.
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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will make an announcement on alert levels Monday afternoon.
Auckland will remain at alert level 2.5
Auckland has been at alert level 2.5 since August 31.
Ardern may announce that experts have decided that new cases that are not linked to Auckland’s August cluster are cause for concern and that more time is needed to make sure no more people are infected as a result.
If Auckland remains at level 2.5, the restrictions are likely to remain the same.
That would mean that the use of face covers would remain mandatory on public transportation and would be encouraged when social distancing is not possible.
The maximum number of meetings would be kept at 10 and 50 funerals and tangihanga more.
The residents of Aucklanders could still travel outside the region, but they would need to cover their faces on planes.
Auckland to drop to alert level 2
If the government, together with health experts, decides that it is safe enough to do so, Auckland can go to alert level 2 starting Wednesday at 11:59 pm
This would likely give the country’s largest city the same freedom the rest of the country has had since the second outbreak was confirmed in August.
The Covid-19 website says that the government, in principle, agreed to move Auckland to level 2 with reduced restrictions on meetings.
Alert level 2 for Auckland can see the maximum number increased to 100 people for social gatherings such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, and tangihanga.
Auckland residents will need to stay home if they are sick, keep track of where they have been and who they have seen, and keep two meters away from people in public.
Face coverings will remain mandatory on public transportation and on airplanes and will be encouraged in public.
Could alert level 1.5 be created?
Like the way Auckland moved to the 2.5 alert level, could there be a 1.5 alert level?
The current restrictions under a possible alert level 1.5 are not known.
However, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, has raised the possibility of this level of alert.
This could make wearing masks and social distancing part of the norm in the country.
In response, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the alert level framework was “constantly being scrutinized” to ensure it was fit for purpose.
Although he was not aware of “a specific proposal” on changes in alert levels, officials “continued to listen to advice.”
“The idea of people washing their hands should be happening all the time. The idea of people wearing masks, you can see that people adopt that idea more often, and people who are more careful not to go out when they are sick, for example, are all things that we would like to see happen anyway. . Robertson said.
Alert level 1
Returning to alert level 1 would see kiwis come back to life so close to normal in a Covid-19 world.
People would still have to stay home if they were sick.
“The risk of Covid-19 spreading in the community is much higher when there are no restrictions on meetings or outings,” says the Covid-19 website.
“Continuing good habits with face covering will keep you and others safe, even at alert level 1 when it is no longer required.”
Return to alert level 3 or 4
As much as kiwis want to lower their alert levels, it is not ruled out that there may be an upward movement.
If Auckland, or New Zealand as a whole, were to return to level 3 or 4, the restrictions would increase considerably and some stores would have to close again.
People would be asked to work from home and travel would be further restricted.
