Covid 19 coronavirus: man sentenced to one month in prison for confinement offenses

A 38-year-old Whanganui man has been jailed for a month for repeated lockdown offenses.

District Central Commander Superintendent Chris de Wattignar said the man had been verbally warned five times regarding the Level 4 alert restrictions.

In the sixth violation, the man had strayed a little from his home.

When the police spoke to him, it was discovered that he did not have a valid reason to leave his address again.

De Wattignar said this was a good reminder to follow level 4 alert restrictions, as people who continually break the restrictions would not be tolerated.

“Our first step has been to educate people about the rules, but if people continue to break them, as in this case, the police can use their discretion to warn people or, if necessary, arrest them,” de Wattignar said.

“We are still at alert level 4, which means that people should not be on our roads unless they are accessing essential services or providing essential services.”

The latest police figures show that there have been 2,078 offenses during the closure and more than 200 prosecutions.

Of the total, 1,605 have been breaches of the Health Law and have resulted in 190 prosecutions, 1,381 warnings and 34 referrals of young people.

A total of 473 were infractions under the Civil Defense Emergency Law and resulted in 38 prosecutions, 418 warnings and 17 youth referrals.

The infractions have continued despite selective movements by the authorities, which include having a greater police presence on the street and establishing checkpoints and stopping cars to see where drivers are going.

During Easter, the police installed checkpoints on highways and major routes to prevent people from trying to escape during the long weekend.

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Although many were detained and told to return to their city and the bubble of their home, it was evident that many had also managed to pass, as small communities reported that crowds of people from outside the city suddenly appeared.

The incidents include people heading to the beaches to swim or surf.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website