Jacinda Ardern has pledged elimination of Covid-19 from the country as her government’s goal, as she foreshadowed a modest loosening of the restrictions that have kept New Zealanders at home for much of the past month.
The country is likely to face weeks more of tight control on recreational and business activities as officials attempt to stamp out the virus in a state the prime minister described as a “recovery room”.
But Ardern – who has not yet decided when the lower tier of rules would be implemented – warned against complacency, urging the country to act as “a team of five million looking after each other”. Most people would still be required to stay at home most of the time under the new rules.
In March the government implemented a four-tier alert system, which is set at the highest level until Wednesday. Ardern will announce on Monday whether the country will drop to level three. At a news conference on Thursday, she revealed for the first time what that would look like.
Takeaway meals and food delivery would be allowed again and people could once again see partners who did not live with them, or bring an “exclusive” number of others, such a single person, relative or caregiver for their children into their household “bubble”. That would bring New Zealand into line with measures imposed in Australia.
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Shops would remain closed, except for those selling essential goods, but they could make sales online. Cafes, bars, restaurants, shopping malls and playgrounds must stay shut.
Weddings, funerals and tangi – Māori funeral services – would be permitted under the level three rules with fewer than 10 guests and no food or meals served.
Schools and early childcare centres would be permitted to reopen up to year 10, or approximately 14-year-old students. Older teenagers could remain at home to study unsupervised, and school attendance for all students would be optional.
Ardern described the moves as a “cautious” reopening of the economy. She said all those who could work from home must continue to do so, and those who could not – such as tradespeople – must be able to observe physical distancing and other safety measures if their businesses were to reopen.
New Zealanders have so far been asked to stay in their neighbourhoods – a rule that has been challenged by those wanting clearer guidelines on how far they could travel. A move to level three would require them only to stay within their city or region. A handful of recreational activities banned under level four – such as swimming, surfing and fishing from shore – would be allowed.
But activities must be kept “low risk”, Ardern said, and level three would not be “the time to take up a new activity that you have never done before”, nor an invitation to congregate in public places.
“Keep it exclusive ... keep it small,” she said.
The new restrictions are expected to be in place for weeks before the government considers easing to much looser level two rules.
New Zealand has drawn global praise for its swift response to the spread of the virus, moving to a strict national lockdown before any deaths were recorded due to Covid-19. The national death toll now stands at nine. More people have recovered from the virus than there are active cases of the disease.
But Ardern urged New Zealanders to “continue to act like you have Covid … and act like people around you have it too”. There would be “a high level of trust and responsibility” along with extra risk under level three restrictions.
“The last thing we want to do is move out of level four and lose everything,” she said.
