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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has pleaded with New Zealanders to “play by the rules” as Auckland will return to coronavirus alert level 3 for seven days.
The quick switch to lockdown, effective as of 6 a.m. Sunday, comes after a 21-year-old man, the older brother of a Papatoetoe High School student, tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, whose link still remains. has not been established. .
The man, Case M, visited the GP on Friday and went to the gym after his Covid-19 test, which Ardern described as “frustrating,” visibly frowning and breathing sharply during an impromptu press conference Saturday. the night.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: “People who should have been isolated were not.”
“We cannot exist in an environment where we establish rules and [are] constantly infringed, “Ardern said.
That would leave the country unable to contain Covid-19, he said.
The Papatoetoe High School student in Case M’s home tested negative for Covid-19 on three separate occasions and has no symptoms, Ardern announced.
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Chief Health Officer Dr. Ashley Bloomfield reported that Case M developed symptoms on Tuesday, before being examined on Friday, meaning they had been infectious since last weekend.
During that time, they had gone to various “high-risk” and “well-populated” places, such as a supermarket, a gym, and the Manukau Institute of Technology.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
The homes of Papatoetoe High School were operating in a kind of lockdown, following a series of Covid-19 cases linked to the broader school community.
Given the time that has passed, it is possible that there are close contacts who are already unwell, he said.
“There’s no question” the guidelines and rules “haven’t always been followed,” he said.
“People who should have been isolated weren’t.”
Despite the communication, “what was expected has not happened here,” he said.
Ardern said this had created “multiple high-risk situations.”
“I say that so as not to blame. Our system has always been multi-layered, because we know that humans make mistakes. However, we also know that we will not succeed if we confront each other.”
However, he reminded people that it was not yet clear how this person had become infected, which was another complicating factor.
Ross giblin
The Auckland region will return to alert level 3 at 6 a.m. Sunday, after a new case was diagnosed without a clear epidemiological link.
“It’s not just that we have rule violations here, we also have some unanswered questions that may not be on the feet of those involved, so let’s be fair on that now.”
She told the media that the people in both recent cases were supposed to be operating at “essentially an alert level 4”.
Ardern reminded the public that they are not asked to do anything more than is necessary to keep people safe and pleaded with New Zealanders to “follow the rules on behalf of all.”
“We just have to hang on,” as vaccines are released, he said.
Ardern reported that the government has the ability to take enforcement action “if necessary” in case people don’t follow the rules.
But this had to be balanced with ensuring that people still feel comfortable having symptoms if they have symptoms, he said.
“We still need an environment where people speak up and show up and get tested.”
If people feel embarrassed and vilified, they won’t show up, Ardern said.
