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Tag: New Zealand

  • New Zealand to end coronavirus lockdown

    New Zealand will phase out its coronavirus lockdown over the next 10 days after successfully containing the virus, although some restrictions will remain, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday.

    Ardern said that from Thursday shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas and playgrounds will reopen — with the country moving to Level Two on its four-tier system.

    The 39-year-old leader warned “none of us can assume COVID is not with us” but said New Zealand currently had only 90 active cases after a seven-week lockdown.

    “Your efforts New Zealand have got us to this place ahead of most of the world and without the carnage that COVID has inflicted in many other places,” she said in a televised address.

    “But there are risks ahead, so please be vigilant.”

    New Zealand, with a population of five million has recorded 1,147 coronavirus cases, including 21 deaths.

    The number of new cases has been in single digits since mid-April, with three new infections recorded on Monday.

    Under Level Two restrictions, international borders remain closed but life domestically will return to something approaching normality.

    While social distancing must still be followed, the advice that people isolate themselves at home and “stick to your bubble” will no longer apply.

    “This is a transition out of our bubbles, you can see people you haven’t seen in a while, you just can’t do it all at once,” Ardern said.

    “At Level Two we are out and about again, just about all parts of the economy are opening up again.”

    The lockdown was first eased two weeks ago, allowing food takeaways and resumption of some recreational activities, but the freedoms granted by the latest relaxation will be far greater.

    Those aged over 70 will be allowed out again after more than seven weeks of mandatory quarantine.

    Domestic travel will be allowed, providing a boost to the crippled tourism industry and schools will fully reopen next Monday.

    Bars will not be back in business until May 21, giving them extra time to ensure they can keep patrons properly separated.

    Team sport will also return, with planning already underway to start a domestic version of Super Rugby on June 13 involving the competition’s five New Zealand-based teams.

    Ardern said the move to Level Two would be reassessed after two weeks, with further easing possible depending on developments.

    Source: france24.com

  • New Zealand PM: No open borders for ‘a long time’

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country will not have open borders with the rest of the world for “a long time to come”.

    Ms Ardern was speaking after attending part of Australia’s cabinet meeting via video link.

    The meeting discussed a possible “trans-Tasman bubble”, where people could go between Australia and New Zealand freely, and without quarantine.

    But she said visitors from further afield were not possible any time soon.

    Both Australia and New Zealand have closed their borders to almost all foreigners as part of their Covid-19 response.

    What did Jacinda Ardern say?

    Ms Ardern said New Zealand and Australia were discussing a “bubble of sorts between us, a safe zone of travel”.

    She stressed there was “a lot of work to be done before we can progress…but it’s obviously been floated because of the benefits it would bring”.

    But, in response to a question about the country’s tourism sector, Ms Ardern said: “We will not have open borders for the rest of the world for a long time to come.”

    Tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries, directly employing almost 10% of the country’s workforce, and contributing almost 6% of GDP.

    Most visitors are from Australia, followed by China, the US, and the UK.

    What is the virus situation in Australia and New Zealand?

    Ms Ardern said any “trans-Tasman bubble” was only possible because of “the world leading actions” of both countries.

    On Tuesday, New Zealand reported no new cases for the second day in a row.

    It has had fewer than 1,500 confirmed cases in total, and only 20 deaths. Last week it eased its lockdown from Level 4 to Level 3.

    Australia – which has a population of around 25 million, five times that of New Zealand – has had almost 7,000 cases and 96 deaths.

    But it, too, has “flattened the curve” of infections, and various states and territories have also eased their lockdowns.

    Source: bbc.com

     

  • Coronavirus: New Zealand claims no community cases as lockdown eases

    New Zealand says it has stopped community transmission of Covid-19, effectively eliminating the virus.

    With new cases in single figures for several days – one on Sunday – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the virus was “currently” eliminated.

    But officials have warned against complacency, saying it does not mean a total end to new coronavirus cases.

    The news came hours before New Zealand moved out of its toughest level of social restrictions.

    From Tuesday, some non-essential business, healthcare and education activity will be able to resume.

    Most people will still be required to remain at home at all times and avoid all social interactions.

    “We are opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” Ms Ardern said at the daily government briefing.

    New Zealand has reported fewer than 1,500 confirmed or probable cases of coronavirus and 19 deaths.

    New Zealand’s Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, said the low number of new cases in recent days “does give us confidence that we have achieved our goal of elimination”.

    He warned that “elimination” did not mean there would be no new cases “but it does mean we know where our cases are coming from”.

    Ms Ardern said there was “no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand”, adding: “We have won that battle.”

    But she said the country “must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way”.

    How did New Zealand respond to the virus? The country brought in some of the toughest restrictions in the world on travel and activity early on in the pandemic, when it only had a few dozen cases.

    It closed its borders, started enforcing quarantine of all arrivals in the country, brought in a stringent lockdown and mounted an extensive testing and contact tracing operation.

    Beaches, waterfronts and playgrounds were shut on 26 March, as were offices and schools. Bars and restaurants were also closed, including for takeaway and delivery.

    Ms Ardern said modelling indicated New Zealand could have had more than 1,000 cases a day if it had not brought in the lockdown so early.

    She said the country could never know how bad it would have been but that “through our cumulative actions we have avoided the worst”.

    New Zealand’s remote location and easily sealable borders played in its favour when the virus broke out, experts say.

    But the government has also been praised for the clarity of its messaging throughout the crisis.

    At midnight local time (12:00 GMT on Monday), New Zealand moved from Level Four lockdown to Level Three. That means most businesses will be able to reopen – including restaurants for takeaways – but not those involving face-to-face contact.

    New Zealanders are being told to stick to their “bubble” – a small group of close friends or family – and to stay 2m (6ft) away from people.

    Mass gatherings are still banned, shopping centres remain closed and most children will remain away from school. New Zealand’s border will remain closed.

    What’s happening in Australia? In Australia, the rise in infections has also slowed considerably in recent weeks. There were just 16 new cases recorded on Sunday.

    Much like in New Zealand, its government has been praised for its response to the crisis and opinion polls show that trust in the country’s leadership has risen.

    Restrictions are easing in some areas, with some states planning to relax social distancing rules to permit larger outdoor gatherings this week.

    In Queensland from Saturday, people will be free to go shopping for clothes, have a picnic in the park or go for a swim at the beach as long as it is within a 40-minute drive from home.

    Western Australia is also joining South Australia in expanding the national two-person limit on gatherings to 10 people.

    However, most Australians are still required to stay at home unless they have essential work, shopping or exercise reasons to go out.

    More than a million Australians also downloaded a coronavirus contact tracing app within hours of it being released by the government.

    Users of the app will be notified if they have had more than 15 minutes of close contact with another user who tests positive for Covid-19.

    There are reports that Australia and New Zealand are considering opening up travel between them but no decision has been made.

    Source: bbc.com

  • New Zealand has won a battle against virus transmission – PM

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday claimed New Zealand had scored a significant victory against the spread of the coronavirus, as the country began a phased exit from lockdown.

    “There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand,” Ardern declared. “We have won that battle.”

    After nearly five weeks at the maximum Level Four restrictions, with only essential services operating, the country will move to Level Three late on Monday.

    That will allow some businesses, takeaway food outlets and schools to reopen.

    But Ardern warned there was no certainty about when all transmission can be eliminated, allowing a return to normal life.

    Everyone wants to “bring back the social contact that we all miss”, she said, “but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously.”

    “I will not risk the gains we’ve made in the health of New Zealanders. So if we need to remain at Level Three, we will.”

    The easing of restrictions came as New Zealand, a nation of five million people, reported only one new case of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1,122 with 19 deaths.

    Source: france24.com

  • Police site crashes as Kiwis turn into shutdown snitches

    New Zealanders have become so keen to report their neighbours for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules that police on Monday said a website dedicated to addressing the issue crashed soon after going live.

    The South Pacific nation is in the midst of a four-week Coronavirus lockdown, with residents under orders to stay at home or remain at least two metres (6.5 feet) apart if they must go outside.

    Police commissioner Mike Bush said that a police website www.police.govt.nz/105support opened on Sunday afternoon and received such heavy traffic that it temporarily crashed.

    “We’ve had 4,200 reports of people believing others weren’t complying,” he told reporters.

    “It shows how determined Kiwis are that everyone complies with us.”

    Bush said breaches included a party of about 60 people at a backpacker hostel in Queenstown and tourists continuing to travel the country in campervans.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern backed the informants and also urged the public to report any price gouging at supermarkets via a dedicated email address.

    “Now is not the time to bend the rules. This is a time to stay at home and save lives,” she told reporters.

    New Zealand, with a population of about five million, has 552 confirmed COVID-19 cases, one of them fatal.

    Source: AFP

  • Virus looms as election issue for New Zealand’s Ardern

    The global coronavirus outbreak is emerging as a potential stumbling block for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s re-election plans, with a poll Thursday showing unease over her government’s handling of the crisis.

    The centre-left leader goes to the polls on September 19 facing a tight race to win a second term against the conservative National Party.

    While Ardern is enormously popular overseas due to her compassionate handling of last year’s Christchurch mosque shootings, her Labour Party trails National and almost certainly again needs support from coalition partners to form a government.

    National has accused the government of not doing enough to counter the virus’ impact on a New Zealand economy that is heavily reliant on trade with China.

    “Businesses need clear and urgent action from the government to help them through this period of uncertainty, not just tinkering around the edges and ad-hoc announcements that lack detail,” National finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith said Thursday.

    While the government has announced measures

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    help some sections of the economy affected by the virus, an opinion poll published by news website stuff.co.nz indicated the attacks were hitting home.

    The survey of 1,900 voters found less than half, some 47 percent, were satisfied with the government’s handling of the virus, with 34 percent dissatisfied and 19 percent unsure.

    It showed 55 percent wanted stronger travel bans covering all countries where the virus has caused deaths, rather than the current bans applied to China and Iran.

    New Zealand has three cases of the virus, all of which were confirmed this week.

    Massey University politics specialist associate professor Grant Duncan said the more the virus spread in New Zealand, the larger its likely impact on the election.

    “It’s very unpredictable. One would hope for the sake of New Zealand that it turns out to be a fizzer,” he told AFP, speaking before the poll’s release.

    “But if it’s not, it could be a big factor come September if people are blaming the government.”

    Source: AFP

  • New Zealand cops probe threat to terror attack mosque

    New Zealand police said Tuesday they were investigating a threat made this week against one of the Christchurch mosques where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed in a mass shooting a year ago.

    Amid plans to mark the one-year anniversary of the March 15 massacre, police said the threat to Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque was posted this week on encrypted messaging app Telegram.

    Reports said the message showed a man in a balaclava sitting in a car outside the mosque accompanied by threatening text and a gun emoji.

    “We have strong leads that we’re following up and I’m confident that we will establish who this person is,” Canterbury police commander superintendent John Price told Radio New Zealand, adding, “We’re very close”.

    Al Noor was one of two mosques targeted by a self-avowed white supremacist last year in what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “an unprecedented act of terror (that) shattered our small country”.

    The timing of the latest threat comes at a sensitive time as planning is underway for a memorial service in Christchurch to mark the anniversary.

    Details of the service at the city’s Hagley Park have not yet been finalised but Ardern is set to attend after gaining international praise for her compassionate handling of the attacks.

    Ardern said Tuesday that she found it hard to believe that New Zealand’s Muslim community was still being subjected to such hatred.

    “I will be amongst many New Zealanders who will be devastated to see that as we head towards the one-year anniversary of a most horrific terror attack on the Muslim community, that they should then be the target of this kind of activity,” she told reporters.

    Price said he was encouraged that a member of the public had reported the threat, saying that people were acting to stamp out such online activity when they saw it.

    “That’s the way we’ll conquer this issue in our society, is by everyone standing up and saying this is not OK,” he said.

    The alleged mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant, an Australian national, is due to go on trial on June 2 facing terrorism charges plus 51 counts of murder and 40 of attempted murder over the killings.

    Source: AFP

  • New Zealand speaker cradles MPs baby during parliament debate

    The speaker of New Zealand’s parliament has cradled a lawmaker’s baby while he presided over a debate in the House of Representatives.

    Trevor Mallard tweeted a photo of himself feeding MP T?mati Coffey’s baby boy in the speaker’s seat.

    Mr Coffey, Labour MP for Waiariki, announced the birth of his son, T?t?nekai Smith-Coffey, in July.

    The baby was born via a surrogate mother and is the biological son of Mr Coffey’s partner, Tim Smith.

    In a tweet about the baby’s birth, Mr Coffey said he and his partner were “overwhelmed at the miracle of life” and the surrogate mother – a friend of Mr Smith – was “doing awesome”.

    Read:Proposed New Zealand abortion law to give women right to choose

    On Wednesday, Mr Coffey attended a parliamentary debate with his baby for the first time after returning from paternity leave.

    During the session, father-of-three Mr Mallard took on the role of babysitter as well as speaker.

    A picture of Mr Coffey holding up the baby in parliament was shared by Green Party MP Gareth Hughes on Twitter.

    “Lovely to have a baby in the House, and what a beautiful one @tamaticoffey,” Mr Hughes wrote in the tweet.

    Read:Christchurch shootings: New Zealand falls silent for mosque victims

    Speaking to Newshub, Mr Coffey said he felt “really supported by my colleagues from across the House”.

    Mr Coffey is the latest MP to bring his baby to parliament, following the example of politicians across the world.

    Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, who attended a debate with her baby in 2018, and Australian Senator Larissa Waters, who breastfed in parliament in 2017, are among the legislators to make headlines.

    And in September last year, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made history by bringing her baby along to her debut speech at the UN in New York.

    Source: bbc.com