Stay home, save lives
Iwant to start off by saying thank you to everyone in Taranaki who is doing the right thing and staying home as we continue with our nationwide period of selfisolation. I know that you’re giving up a lot; but it’s for a good cause.
By staying home, you’re breaking the chain of transmission of Covid-19.
By staying home, you’re denying the virus a chance to jump from one person to infect another.
By staying home, you’re saving lives.
You’ll have seen in the statistics that it’s likely Covid19 has already started to pass from person to person in our communities. We need to break that chain if we’re to slow it down and protect our health system from being overwhelmed.
Doctors and other experts have done analysis which suggests that taking isolation measures now has the potential to save thousands of lives. Everyone has a responsibility in this. Slowing the spread of this virus and protecting New Zealand from the worst requires every single one of us to play our part. Tempting as it is to do activities outside of home we most enjoy, we simply cannot think that way right now. The stakes are far too high.
That’s why I’m so grateful to you for starting the lockdown period with a positive outlook, and with respect for the rules. Every every time you respect your isolation bubble, we come closer to beating back the virus.
From the teddy bears in the windows to the makeshift home schools to the lockdown dance videos, New Zealanders are doing a great job in a tough spot.
Thank you especially for being kind to each other at the supermarket. You’ll know by now that supermarkets, pharmacies, hospitals and other essential services will be up and running throughout this period of self-isolation.
There will be questions about some businesses operating and others that have not been allowed to operate. This is based on restricting as much as possible the number of people moving about and risking the spread of the virus.
Farmers and growers and drivers and related people who bring food to your supermarkets are continuing to operate during the lockdown. They need to, so there’ll be plenty of food in supermarkets.
I want to say a special thank you to all those essential workers. It’s not just those in our medical professions, our primary industries, and our law enforcement. It’s also our supermarket workers, our transport workers, the people who keep the house warm and the internet on, and so many more.
This is a busy, stressful, and potentially scary time for them, and we’re all indebted to them for their efforts. The best way you can say thank you at your supermarket is to keep being kind when you see them. We are very early in this four-week lockdown. We’ve made a good start. But I expect it will get tougher.
We all feel like we’ve been grounded and I expect we will feel the restrictions even more as the days wear on. But we have to stick with it. What we’re doing isn’t about each of us individually. It’s about saving the rest of us from getting this invisible and dangerous bug.
To learn more about all the things we’re doing as New Zealanders to unite against Covid-19, I encourage you to visit the website, covid19.govt. nz.
Remember, let’s be kind, stay home, break the chain, and save lives.