PM Jacinda Ardern Important Update on Corona Virus 2020

PM Jacinda Ardern Important Update on Corona Virus 2020

Hi Everyone. I know most of you will have seen the news already about the next moves on COVID-19, but here’s a written version just in case you didn’t.

As you will have seen, on Saturday I announced that New Zealand would be adopting an alert system in order to prepare our country for the impacts of COVID-19 and I placed us at Alert Level 2.

This is a situation that is moving at pace. In order to protect the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders, we must move at pace, too. That is why this morning Cabinet met to discuss the next actions our Government needed to take in order to protect our country from COVID-19. Cabinet agreed that effective immediately, New Zealand will move to Alert Level 3 - Restrict.

After 48 hours - the time required to ensure essential services are in place - we will move to Alert Level 4 - Eliminate, at 11.59pm on Wednesday. Once New Zealand moves to Level 4, we’ll remain there for at least the next four weeks. If after those 4 weeks we have been successful, I hope we will be able to ease up on restrictions. If we haven’t, we’ll find ourselves living with them for longer.

I wanted to set out here what this will mean for you, your family and for businesses going forward. This is going to be another long post, and I go into further details below, but the most important things for you to know are that:

All non-essential businesses in New Zealand will close, or move to arrangements to work from home where possible. I want to reassure you that supermarkets, doctors, pharmacies, service stations, access to essential banking services will all be available throughout New Zealand at every alert level.

All events and gatherings must be cancelled.

Schools will be closed from tomorrow, except to the children of essential workers. From midnight Wednesday, when we are at Level 4, all schools will be closed entirely.

People will want to relocate over the next 48 hours, but after that air travel and public transport will be focused on essential services and transporting freight.

We’ve removed the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme, which will inject a further $4 billion into the economy over the next eleven weeks.

For more details on the information on the above, please read on, but do always head to www.covid19.govt.nz for the most up to date information.

The decision to move New Zealand to Alert Level 4 will place the most significant restriction on New Zealanders' movements in modern history. It is not a decision that was taken lightly, but this is our best chance to slow the virus and to save lives.

We are fighting an unprecedented global pandemic and it will take a collective effort of every single one of us doing the right thing to give us our best shot at curtailing community outbreak.

So what does this mean for New Zealanders? In short: we are all now preparing to go into self isolation as a nation to stop the spread of the virus and to protect the health and wellbeing of our loved ones, our coworkers and our communities.

I understand that self isolation is a daunting prospect. So we are being practical. You can leave your home for fresh air, a walk, exercise. To take your children outside. But remember the simple principle: it must be solitary. We are asking that you only spend time with those you are in self isolation with. And if you are outside, keep your distance from others. That means 2 metres at all times. This is the single most important thing we can do right now to stop further community transmission.

As I said above, for us to be successful, these measures will need to be in place for 4 weeks. If after those 4 weeks people have stuck to Government advice, and we’re seeing a slowing of transmission, we might be able to re-evaluate the restrictions. If not though, they will remain in place.

That’s why sticking to the rules matters. If we don’t – if you hang out with that friend at a park or see that family member for lunch, you risk spreading COVID -19 and extending everyone’s time in Level 4.

I want to reiterate too, you will still be able to visit essential services like supermarkets, doctors, pharmacies, service stations and essential banking in this time, so please don’t worry about running out of the essentials or about being cut off totally.

If you do not have immediate needs, do not go to the supermarket. It will be there for you today, tomorrow, and the day after that - and beyond. We must give time for supermarkets to restock their shelves, and make sure that those who are more vulnerable can access everything that they need too.

Business

All non--essential businesses in New Zealand must now close. That means all bars, restaurants, cafes, gyms, cinemas, pools, museums, libraries, playgrounds and any other place where the public congregate must close their face to face function. We know this will have a profound effect on people’s lives, customers and business owners alike, but it will take each and everyone of us to do our part to limit the transmission of this virus.

We had already announced a significant COVID-19 response package to support the economy, business and workers, but today we agreed to remove the cap on the wage subsidy scheme, injecting a further $4 billion into the economy over the next eleven weeks.

If you are a worker or a business owner and are worried about the impact these changes will have, I’d encourage you to apply for help at http://www.workandincome.govt.nz.

Events

If community transmission takes off in New Zealand the number of cases will double every five days. If that happens unchecked, our health system will be inundated, and thousands of New Zealanders will die.

There is no easy way to say that – but it is the reality we have seen overseas – and the possibility we must now face here. Together, we must stop that happening, and we can.

Schools

Schools will be closed from tomorrow, except to the children of essential workers such as our doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and police – this will give them time to plan. This will be temporary, and schools will close entirely from 11.59 pm on Wednesday.

The school term break will be brought forward. For the remainder of this week and through the term break schools will establish ways to deliver teaching online and remotely.

Working from home

To be absolutely clear we are now asking all New Zealanders who are working outside of essential services to stay at home.

So, over the next 48 hours, every workplace that can should implement alternative ways of working, people must work from home so that interactions with others are limited.

Essential services will need to put in place alternative ways of working that ensure physical distancing of staff of 2 meters, or utilise appropriate Personal Protective Equipment.

Again, staying at home is essential. It’s a simple but highly effective way to constrain the virus – it denies it places to go, and will help give our healthcare system a fighting chance.

Travel

Travel around New Zealand will also need to change.

We have asked all air transport providers to ensure social distancing. After 48 hours we will be moving to air travel only applying to the transport of people undertaking essential services and the transport of freight.

Public transport will also begin to transition over the next 48 hours will only be available for those working in essential services, for medical reasons, and to move essential goods – including ferry services between the North and South Island.

Health response

We will continue to vigorously contact trace every single case of COVID-19 that’s confirmed. Testing will continue at pace to help us understand the current number of cases in New Zealand and where they are based. If we flush out the cases we already have and see transmission slow, we will potentially be able to move areas out of Level 4 over time.

But for the next wee while, things will look worse before they look better. In the short term the number of cases will likely rise because the virus is already in our community. But these new measures can slow the virus down and prevent our health system from being overwhelmed and ultimately save lives.

Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, we do have a small window to get ahead of it. The choice is this, act now, or risk the virus taking hold as it has elsewhere.

The Government can and will do all it can to protect you, Now, I’m asking you to do everything you can to protect yourselves and to protect each other. Together we have an opportunity to contain the spread and prevent the worst.

I want to leave this message with one final thing. Be kind. I know people will want to act as enforcers. And I understand that, people are afraid and anxious. We will play that role for you. What we need from you, is support one another. Call to check in on your neighbours. Start a phone tree with your street. Plan how you’ll keep in touch with one another. We will get through this together, but only if we stick together. I’ll do my best to keep updating you as often as I can over the coming days.

In the meantime, be strong and be kind.