Auckland once again moves to Level 3 lockdown, heralding the return of police roadblocks, supermarket queues, and another halt in quarantine-free travel to Australia.
Aucklanders are waking up to a Level 3 lockdown after members of a family tested positive for Covid-19.
The mother of the group works for an airport laundry and catering service, which could link the cases to the border, however the source of infection is yet to be identified.
The family and other close contacts are now in isolation but two of the group did travel to New Plymouth over Waitangi weekend and visited several tourist attractions. Despite that, Taranaki remains at Alert Level 2 along with the rest of the country.
Although the shift in alert levels is currently set down for three days and essential services remain open, Aucklanders ignored advice not to panic buy and queued outside supermarkets last night.
Roadblocks have been set up around the region, too, preventing any non-essential travel for the next 72 hours. Police say anyone trying to leave should expect to be stopped.
Australia has also announced all travellers arriving from New Zealand will now face a 14-day quarantine as the country places an immediate halt on its one-way travel bubble.
Locations of interest linked to Auckland’s latest outbreak are being updated online , however a major affected group is Papatoetoe High School, where one of the cases is a student. The school has closed for two days as a precaution , with a testing facility now being set up on site.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield was last night urging Kiwis to do their bit to halt this latest outbreak, saying, “It’s our ‘together’ which will make the real difference.”
Anyone trying to remember what doing their bit entails can check out these Level 3 and Level 2 guideline refreshers.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also asked New Zealanders “to continue to be strong and be kind” in the face of the new lockdown.
“We have been here before, that means we know how to get out of this – together.”
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Officials react to lockdown news
Judith Collins says the latest lockdown will be difficult news for all Kiwis .
The National Party leader says she “feels for the people who have already sacrificed their livelihoods, their jobs and their businesses to keep Covid-19 out” but is urging people to follow the advice of health officials.
Amongst those worrying about livelihoods during this latest lockdown are those in the hospitality industry. One bar owner told Stuff , “Every day we can’t trade affects us a lot.”
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says that while the new Covid outbreak is “something none of us wanted to happen”, Kiwis know from experience that “quick action to impose restrictions is the best way to stamp out the virus”.
Leading epidemiologists have also praised the Government’s “vigorous and rapid response” to the community cases.
Meanwhile, community leaders are also urging people to spare a thought for the family at the centre of the outbreak.
Manukau ward councillor Efeso Collins is asking for calm and kindness after the family involved in last year’s Auckland August cluster suffered online attacks.
Attention also turns to vaccine
While authorities work to contain this latest outbreak of Covid-19 in the community, plans to vaccinate border workers are also underway.
And with the vaccine rollout due to begin this weekend , Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi is pushing for vaccines to be prioritised for the most vulnerable communities.
He told TVNZ’s Q+A it would be “inhumane” of the Government to expect Māori to wait for the jab when they were facing a different level of risk than non-Māori.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are no plans to single out ethnic groups to receive their dose first, however the Government will work alongside leaders to promote the vaccine. He says vaccine hesitancy is one of his biggest concerns .
Meanwhile, the UK has reached its target of offering a first Covid vaccine dose to its 15 million most vulnerable citizens.
The country is also about to begin the first clinical trial to test the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in children . That trial will extend to children as young as six.
Where to now for Trump?
Donald Trump has been acquitted of inciting the attack on the US Capitol, bringing his second impeachment trial to a close and leaving him eligible to run for president again.
Fifty-seven of the 100 senators recorded a guilty verdict, however that number was 10 short of the two-thirds vote needed to convict Trump. Seven Republican senators joined the Democrats in that guilty vote and have outlined their reasons for doing so .
But while the way’s been cleared for Trump to have another tilt at America’s top job, Republicans were still trying to wash their hands of him yesterday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticised Trump and directly blamed him for inciting the US Capitol riot - although he still voted to acquit.
Few other Republicans defended Trump’s actions, saying their reasons for acquittal were constitutional, prompting the New York Times’ chief White House correspondent to describe the vote as an escape for Trump, “not an exoneration” .
Govt pledges help for rainbow youth
Jacinda Ardern may have had to skip her appearance at yesterday’s Big Gay Out in order to deal with Auckland’s unfolding Covid outbreak, but the Government still took the opportunity to announce new targeted funding for services providing mental health support for LGBT+ young people.
Ardern says it’s a “long overdue commitment to some our most vulnerable youth”.
Meanwhile, the Green Party pushed for urgency on banning conversion therapy yesterday.
The Government has already committed to banning the practice, however, the Greens’ Dr Elizabeth Kerekere launched a petition at the Big Gay Out calling on officials to urgently prioritise that work.
Other news of note this morning:
- More than 100 students arriving to start university in Wellington have been left frustrated after their accommodation was changed at the eleventh hour .
- There are warnings New Zealand will struggle to join the electric car revolution due to its small population.
- Canterbury health officials are warning Banks Peninsula residents who have drunk contaminated water may not see symptoms for up to 25 days.
- Wednesday’s racing for the Prada Cup final has been postponed due to Auckland’s move to Alert Level 3. Luna Rossa currently has a 4-0 lead over INEOS Team UK.
- Justin Timberlake has used a lengthy social media post to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson as backlash over a New York Times documentary grows.
- And archaeologists believe they have discovered Stonehenge’s origins – and that it’s a second-hand monument .
And finally...
As some of us grit our teeth at the prospect of a little unscheduled home schooling, TVNZ’s Good Sorts last night celebrated an art teacher going the extra distance for his students.
Mike Deavoll has been teaching the same class at Geraldine High School for 40 years and although he’s just retired, he’s got no plans on leaving the group of special needs students he gathered together three years ago.
Deavoll thought his students’ art was too good not to share and has since formed a publishing company to turn those artworks into children’s books. You can check out what his crew at No Laughing Me Publications has been up to here .
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