Today marks the first day of a new way of life for many Kiwis for the foreseeable future, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a raft of new measures to combat the spread of coronavirus over the weekend.
Those who are able to work from home have been asked to do so , while the immunocompromised and people aged over 70 have been advised to stay home .
The Government has also implemented a four-tier Covid-19 alert system , which details what measures will be taken and when during the pandemic. The whole of New Zealand is currently at stage two of this system, with our total number of confirmed cases currently sitting at 66.
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What now for schools?
While these significant changes to living and working are rolled out, official advice remains that schools are the best place for children to be right now.
However, some schools are facing challenges in the face of Covid-19.
Several Auckland schools are closed today and will be for 72 hour s after students and staff tested positive for the virus. These include Glendowie College and Marist College in Mt Albert, with Marist Primary also being closed as a precaution. Randwick Park School is closed while it awaits test results for one of its students.
Schools around the country are also being affected by the Government’s advice for those aged over 70 to stay at home.
A number of teachers and school bus drivers are now unable to work, which means some schools are having to combine classrooms, while others are scrambling to cover bus routes.
Drastic action across the ditch
Meanwhile, schools might still be open in Australia, but much of the country is going into shut down from midday today.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last night that all states will need to shut their pubs, clubs, casinos, cinemas, churches, indoor sports venues and gyms, with cafes and restaurants only open for takeaway. New South Wales and Victoria had already made their own plans to do so earlier in the day. The NSW Government has also temporarily closed Bondi Beach after beachgoers flocked to the famous stretch of sand over the weekend.
The move to shut down much of Australia’s non-essential services came after their government announced another stimulus package yesterday to deal with the economic downturn through the coronavirus pandemic.
Worth $66 billion , it represents 10% of their GDP and brings the country’s total economic stimulus and relief spending to $189 billion so far.
More moves to control Covid’s spread
A World Health Organisation (WHO) expert told TVNZ’s Q+A yesterday that New Zealand has a “good chance” of surviving the coronavirus pandemic with minimal cases, so long as it takes “vigorous steps” to combat the spread of the virus.
And many organisations around the country have done exactly that in the past 24 hours:
The Department of Conservation has closed its visitor centres and cancelled all bookings for its huts and campsites, while KiwiRail has suspended its TranzAlpine, Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific trains until further notice.
A slew of local councils have followed Auckland’s lead and moved to close their swimming pools, libraries, recreation centres and other venues, such as museums and galleries.
Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann says she expects courts to remain open whatever the country’s alert level is, however there will now be limits on the number of people allowed in courthouses.
GPs are also moving towards doing more of their consultations by phone, email or video. The Royal NZ College of General Practitioners says patients who need to be seen by a GP will still be able to do so, but only after a “remote” consultation first . College President Dr Samantha Murton said: "These are extraordinary times and require extraordinary measures. We are at a crossroad. If we do not act immediately, we will lose an important opportunity to help control this virus."
Global anxiety over virus
The number of coronavirus cases around the world has now surpassed 311,000, with the Washington Post reporting Italy’s death toll is feeding fear of what’s to come in the rest of Europe and the US.
Italy’s Lombardy region has introduced even stricter measures to try and stem the spread of the virus, while Spain is extending its own state of emergency after a spike in their number of deaths from Covid-19.
Other news of note this morning:
An elderly Kiwi couple on a trans-Atlantic cruise to Europe say the operators are risking their lives by forcing them to disembark in Italy.
There will be cancellations to some service s across Wellington’s bus network after drivers aged over 70 were stood down yesterday.
A new package from the Government to help Māori during the coronavirus crisis has largely been welcomed .
KFC says customers will no longer be able to dine in its restaurants around New Zealand.
And long-time Kiwi favourite Coronation Street is suspending production from today, as ITV moves to protect the health and wellbeing of the show’s cast and crew.
And finally...
Running a marathon on a seven-metre-long balcony isn’t an activity that immediately springs to mind when pondering how to get through a coronavirus confinement.
But Frenchman Elisha Nochomovitz decided to use his isolation to run 42.2 kilometres on his apartment balcony over the weekend.
Do what you need to get through self-isolation, I say. (But I might just stick to my cup of tea and biscuit on the deck instead.)
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