New Zealand has woken up to Alert Level Four Lockdown this morning after a community case was identified in Devonport. Since then, four other cases have been identified.
The government took swift action as it had previously announced it would if any Delta variant cases were found in the community. New Zealand does not want to echo what is happening in New South Wales so, while a possible seven day lockdown is a huge blow to a lot of us, it is better to have a short and sharp reaction than to be stuck in a drawn out lockdown as we have seen across the ditch.
The key message from the last lockdown remains relevant: Stay at home, Save lives, Be tested. This will stop any undetected spread in the community.
Everyone must stay home and keep within their bubble. Maintain physical distancing from other people to help reduce the spread and if you have cold or flu like symptoms, get a test.
We all need to protect New Zealand and eliminate COVID-19.
- Everyone must now stay home.
- From 11:59pm on Tuesday 17 August you can only leave home to shop for groceries, access necessary healthcare, get a COVID-19 test, exercise in your local area, or go to work if you are working in an Alert Level 4 service and cannot work from home.
- Only make physical contact with those in your household bubble.
Do not worry, during this time you will be able to access all the essentials you need, including medicine and food.
You are encouraged to wear a face covering and keep 2 metres distance from others when leaving your home. Especially if it is difficult to maintain physical distance from others.
You legally must wear a face covering:
- on public transport
- on flights
- if you are a taxi or ride-share driver — it is strongly encouraged that passengers to as well
For all the guidelines on what you can and cannot do under Alert Level 4, click here.
Unite against COVID-19 and let’s get back to business as soon as possible!
