Covid 19 coronavirus – Auckland’s new and ‘new normal’ – what level 2.5 means to you

LAST VIRUS
* New Zealand has 137 active cases, with 10 people in hospital; Worldwide there have been more than 25 million cases and 844,000 deaths
* The new rules: everything you need to know for level 2.5, including masks and barricades
* Comment: Kiwis have every right to be angry about test communications.
* How housing construction is doing in the Covid pandemic
* New rules that make Air NZ recovery even more difficult

Auckland is locked in this morning and in another “new normal”, with roadblocks lifted and masks on for public transport commuters and many workers. But concerns persist as the group that sank the city to Level 3 continues to grow.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned that she expected the Auckland cluster to get bigger and that the queue of new cases “will be long.”

Instead of moving Auckland directly from level 3 to level 2, Ardern announced that Auckland would be in a state she described as “level 2.5”.

This is being welcomed by epidemiologist Michael Baker, who said it was a “good move” given that the group will continue to grow.

But he cautioned that there was a certain level of uncertainty as to whether level 2.5 would be sufficient to contain this outbreak.

Despite this, the release of the lockdown will be good news for many Auckland residents, businesses in particular, who have been at level 3 for almost 20 days.

However, coming out of confinement also comes with a level of uncertainty and some apprehension, especially from parents who send their children to school and daycare.

This is because there is still community transmission of Covid-19 in the city and Ardern warns that new cases will continue to be reported.

There were only two new cases of Covid-19 in the community yesterday, both linked to the Auckland group, which now has 135 people.

Ten people are hospitalized, two of whom are in ICU.

The last time New Zealand as a whole came out of level 3, there had been no cases of community transmission in almost two weeks.

Despite this, public health director Caroline McElnay argued yesterday that the spread of the virus within New Zealand is under control.

“There may be some additional cases that would continue to occur within the community, but our comfort level with cluster control is high.”

Ardern said it was “very likely” that proactive testing will reveal even more cases of community transmission in the coming weeks.

And it is because the Auckland cluster continues to grow that the government moved the city to what she described as level 2.5.

This is not an official alert level, but rather an enhanced version of the level 2 Auckland has already experienced.

The rules on wearing masks have already been announced, but Ardern reiterated them yesterday.

“Basically when you leave your house, we are asking you if you can wear a mask,” he asked Aucklanders.

There will be “very strict environments” when it comes to care facilities for the elderly, he said.

Ardern also went to great lengths to point out that level 2.5 means that social gatherings are limited to 10 people.

“I can’t stress how important this is,” he said.

“Much of this group comes from social gatherings. If we want to stop the spread, we have to stop socializing for a while.

“I know it will take a little time to get used to these new normals, but these are measurements that are in place for good reason.”

Ardern used this same phrase when New Zealand first went to level 4 lockdown in late March.

Yesterday, he said that Tier 2 systems were designed to be effective while officials work to take down a cluster of Covid.

He said the “New Zealand systems are good.”

When asked if the decision to exit level 3 was political, Ardern said: “not at all.”

“We have never made a political decision in the management of Covid-19.

“We have made health-based decisions and evidence-based decisions because that is the best way we support our economy.”

Meanwhile, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has urged Auckland residents to wear a mask if they are in public.

“We have a system to stop the spread of transmission, but the system only works if people follow it,” he said.

He said that most Auckland residents have been following the rules, some have disobeyed them.

Ardern noted that the rules don’t just apply to the city of Auckland, they are guidelines for Auckland residents.

That means Auckland residents shouldn’t visit nursing homes anywhere in the country.

Nor should they attend mass meetings in other cities or regions.

This will not be enforced, but Ardern appealed to the “common sense” of the people and said there would be an element of trust.

Ardern made it clear yesterday that the government “will raise the level again if necessary.”
But trust that this will not happen.

“We trust our system, but we also trust our team of five million.”

Ardern, however, had an ace up his sleeve in case the Aucklandites decide they don’t want to follow the rules and wear a mask on public transport.

In her opening remarks, Ardern said she wouldn’t rule out requiring their use if people don’t use them as requested.

Meanwhile, Ardern revealed that the message sent by the government, saying that everyone in the south and west of Auckland should get tested for Covid-19 even if they have no symptoms, was wrong.

In fact, she said she was “incredibly angry” that the wrong information was posted.
Earlier in the day, there were large lines of cars lining up in the south and west of Auckland waiting to test.