But fears of wider spread grows
Venkat Raman
Auckland, August 30, 2020
Auckland will move to Alert Level 2.5 at 159 pm tonight, while the rest of the country will remain at Alert Level 2, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced this afternoon.
Speaking at a media conference at the Beehive Theatre in Wellington, she said that, although there could be emerging cases of Covid-19, the system to combat the Virus was working well.
She said that Alert Level 2.5 would mean additional measures, including mandatory wearing of mask for people above 12 years of age while using a public transport and possible enforcement of use of masks while in public places such as shopping malls.
Restrictions in place
“Businesses should revert to protocols that they had followed the last time. Social gatherings, including neighbourhood meetings, birthdays, weddings and similar assemblies will be restricted to ten person. The limit for authorised funerals and tangihanga will be 50 persons,” she said.
Ms Ardern said that the government will not hesitate to reinstate higher alert levels if necessary.
The response has been designed to keep New Zealanders on track with the government’s elimination strategy at Alert Level 2 but it will work only if people follow the set guidelines.
“Our system is only as good as our people. Our people are amazing. If anyone can do it, New Zealand can. We cannot be complacent,” she said.
The Virus in numbers
Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay announced that there were two additional cases of Covid-19 in the country, one of which related to a healthcare worker at a medical centre in Tokoroa, which has been operating under Alert 4 precautions.
The health worker has been identified as a General Practitioner and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
“There are ten persons with Covid-19 in hospitals- two in Auckland City, three in Melbourne, three in North Shore and two in Waikato. Eight patients are in a ward, and two are in ICU in Middlemore and Waikato Hospitals,” Dr McElnay said.
The total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak began in New Zealand on February 28, 2020 is 1378 and with the adding of 351 probable cases, the total number today stands at 1729. Te number of people who have recovered is 1570 and 22 people have died from the disease.
Message error corrected
Ms Ardern said that she was very angry over a communication botch-up by government officials, which said that all people living in South and West Auckland must get tested for Covid-19.
“The call by Unite Against Covid-19 was wrong. It was an oversimplified communication. That is not the ask coming from officials currently. The details were correct. The top line messaging was oversimplified and incorrect. We are not asking every single person in West and South Auckland to get a test – that is not our ask, that is not what we are encouraging,” she said.
Ms Ardern that the government was asking people who have symptoms of cold and flu symptoms, and if they have any connection to the cases on which heath officials were currently working should get tested.
“We are not asking over 700,000 New Zealanders to get a test at this point in time. We have to be very, very clear in our communication,” Ms Ardern said.
Modelling Expert ‘nervous’
Radio New Zealand quoted Covid-19 Data Modelling Expert Shaun Hendy as saying that Alert Level 2 made him nervous since new cases were still being uncovered with no link to Auckland.
“Given that we have got these cases that we have not picked by contact tracing, these are people that have been picked up via community testing. That is certainly something that the government should be considering – an extension to Level 3,” he said.
Professor Hendy said that easing travel restrictions means that people could spread the infection to other parts of the country.
He said the virus can be contained at Alert Level 2, but it will require vigilance.
Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said that the move to Alert Level 2 could see a growth in the case rate.
“It does suggest that if we reduce the controls starting tomorrow that transmission will not go away and it may actually drift up, or track up, over the next few weeks. Use of mask in all indoor environments is one of the few ways left to keep a lid on the spread,” he said.
Maori group unhappy
The National Maori Pandemic Group said that moving Auckland out of Alert Level 3 tomorrow was premature and dangerous.
Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā, which is made up of Maori medical and primary health experts said it was not confident that the outbreak was fully contained.
“There are still high numbers of community transmission, and there were cases which were not linked to the Auckland outbreak. Ending travel restrictions and reopening schools and businesses risked spreading the virus,” they said.
