Covirus 19 coronavirus: Kiwis warned that relaxing and socializing could lead to new outbreaks

The Prime Minister warns that New Zealanders are now not the time to relax and undo all the good work to stop the spread of Covid-19 as the country waits with encouragement to see if it will come out of closure this week.

Jacinda Ardern’s comments come when a fire chief has slammed the cars of people on the road this weekend, and a North Shore beach was filled with people strolling along the shoreline.

Manurewa Fire Station Officer Roy Harris said he was appalled by some people’s attitudes about the country’s only chance to eradicate Covid-19 from New Zealand and keep its fellow citizens safe.

Harris said people seemed to have mistakenly taken the Level 3 warning guidelines as a sign that they could relax and “go for it.”

“Highway traffic has increased a lot in the past few days and, while driving to my fire station this Saturday afternoon, there were many vehicles on the road, almost none with just one person on them. A good number had three or four “This number of people in vehicles leaving at 5 pm Saturday is not an essential job, but rather going somewhere to socialize and potentially spread the virus, “he wrote in a letter to the Herald.

The fire chief hoped that the police would issue fewer warnings to these individuals and that there would be more prosecutions for direct violations of the Covid-19 protocols.

Dog walkers, joggers and families flocked to Takapuna Beach on Sunday morning with more than 100 people scattered along the shoreline.

A member of the public said the busy beach was filled with what appeared to be nearby residents. There was no one in the water, but the children each played in the water and people stopped and talked to each other at a distance.

The walkway, which is part of the North Shore coastal walkway, was partly occupied and could make it difficult to stay two meters away from people outside a bubble, it was also being used.

Between 8 p. M. Friday and 8 p.m. M. Saturday night there were 371 lockdown infractions and around 3,400 police prevention patrols.

Since the blockade began just under four weeks ago, there have been 321 prosecutions, 76 youth referrals, and around 2,700 warnings have been issued.

A police media spokesman said that although it was too early to give examples of behavior over the weekend, the message was still clear and that it was: stay home and save lives.

Below alert level 4, people should only be on the roads if they access essential services or provide essential services.

“The police continue to have a visible presence in communities and on roads across the country and messages from people who have not changed should stay home.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Google’s location tracking data showed a big drop in traffic in cities, as well as far fewer visits to places like beaches and parks.

“I know it hasn’t been easy, but it has been working.”

The latest data is taken from Saturday, April 11 and the data for that Saturday is compared to the average Saturday between January 3 and February 6 of this year.
• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website

According to the data, there has been a 75% drop in people visiting parks and beaches and a 59% drop in workplaces.

Going to Alert Level 3, Ardern warned, would not be a return to pre-Covid life and was more of a “recovery room.” She said New Zealand did not want to undo all the hard work.

“What eventually changes at alert level 3 is that a larger part of the economy may return but our social lives unfortunately will not.”

The cabinet will announce at 4pm tomorrow whether the country will go to alert level 3 on Thursday at the end of the four-week blockade.

READ MORE:
• Covid 19 Coronavirus: What can I do below Alert Level 3?
• Covid Coronavirus 19: Can your business operate under Alert Level 3?
• Covid 19 Coronavirus: Answers to your Alert Level 3 questions
• Covirus 19 coronavirus – Auckland closed restaurants offer Tier 3 deliveries