Wellington, February 28, 2021
There are no new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is still urging people to stay home and for anyone with symptoms to immediately get tested.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told a media conference that he was confident that Level 3 was appropriate at this point in time, as long as everyone did what is required at Level 3, such as having as little human contact as possible.
Ms Ardern urged people to stay home, and those with symptoms to get tested straight away.
“Covid kills people. We must never lose sight of the reasons we take these measures – it is to save our people’s lives and our livelihoods,” she said.
Exposures and Alert Level
Ms Ardern said that Auckland had to be moved to Alert Level 3 because of exposures and that regular checks are being done to ensure that those who have been asked to stay at home, are complying with the requirement.
Police will get involved if people breach the rules of self-isolation.
Those affected are in daily telephone contact, and if they cannot be contacted, door-to-door visits may be considered, she said.
Financial Support
Ms Ardern asked employers to make sure that those who need to be isolating do not come to work and that financial help is available. The wage subsidy is available nationwide through this period.
“Despite our best efforts to date, recent cases have gone to work when they should not have done so,” she said.
Auckland moved back to Alert Level 3 this morning, while the rest of the country moved to Alert Level 2 following two new Covid-19 community cases that could not be directly linked to earlier cases.
Ms Ardern made the announcement at a briefing at 9pm last night saying that the alert level changes would come in from 6am today and would be in place for seven days.
South Auckland cluster
This morning, the government confirmed genomic sequencing showed the latest community case of Covid-19 in Auckland is linked to the South Auckland cluster.
Ms Ardern said this afternoon that New Zealanders will not beat Covid-19 by turning on each other. New Zealanders have enjoyed more freedoms than any other country in the OECD.
Official Announcement
The following is an official government Covid-19 announcement.
From February 28, 2021, the Auckland region moves to Covid-19 Alert Level 3. The rest of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2. This is for a period of seven days.
Further community cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the Auckland Region.
If you are in Auckland, stay home where possible, and follow Alert Level 3 guidelines. This will stop the transmission of Covid-19 and save lives. For more information on the alert levels go to covid19.govt.nz.
RNZ Statute
Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is the statutory Lifeline Utility responsible for radio broadcasting under the Emergency Management Act 2002 and it has a memorandum of understanding with Government which has been activated to help deal with potential health issues related to the pandemic. RNZ’s Lifeline Utility obligations do not affect our editorial independence as a public media organisation or the rigour of our news gathering and reporting operations.
As New Zealand’s Lifeline Utility radio broadcaster, RNZ is required to maintain essential public information channels and news during times of national emergency and we are committed to supporting all New Zealanders.
It is also committed to looking after the health and well-being of its staff.
RNZ will continue to provide essential information services – broadcasting and publishing critical public service announcements on air, on our website and via social media channels. Comprehensive news will be available on air and via our website and digital services.
Kia Kaha – Stay Strong
The above Report has been published under a special agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
The above Report has been sponsored by
