PM’s update aims to offer clarity

Ardern expected to go into detail on how level 2 will look

New Zealand will today get a more detailed update on what the country will look like when it transitions into alert level 2, as early as next week. Cabinet will decide on Monday whether the country is ready to move from level 3.

But later today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will reveal new level 2 details in an attempt to give people and businesses clarity around the next step.

This comes as the number of new Covid-19 cases remains low.

Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield yesterday revealed that there were two new cases of Covid19 — one confirmed and one probable.

This comes after two straight days where there were no new cases in New Zealand.

He also revealed that 88 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases to date have now recovered.

But Bloomfield also said there had been a 21st Covid-19 death — a woman in her 60s from the Rosewood Rest Home. She had underlying health conditions.

Speaking to Parliament’s epidemic response committee yesterday, Bloomfield said Cabinet won’t have all the data it needs to make its decision on moving to alert level 2 until the end of this week.

He said the virus has a two-week incubation period, so the full two weeks at level 3 was needed to gauge whether or not it was safe to move down a level.

And going into alert level 2 depended on where, if any, new cases were coming from, Bloomfield said.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters yesterday, Ardern was giving little away as to what level 2 might look like. But the current advice, which is subject to change today, says gatherings of up to 100 people in

Our duty of care is to try and reduce that burden as much as we can . . . it doesn’t sound like we have done that to the best of our ability. Jacinda Ardern

doors, and 500 outdoors, will be allowed — as long as there are contact tracing abilities.

Public venues, such as cafes and shops, can open and most schools will be allowed to reopen, as long as there is 1m physical distancing.

However, people will still be advised against “non-essential interregional travel”.

The Government’s alert level guide says the country will move to alert level 2 when Cabinet is confident that Covid-19 is contained, and ministers are sure that it’s safe.

One area of interest will be around how the loosened restrictions will affect hospitals.

The epidemic committee yesterday heard from a number of people who said they had been failed by the health system while the country was in lockdown.

Jennifer, 66, a pensioner in Northland, was told during lockdown that she had breast cancer and any public treatment would be at least six months away.

She had to pay $15,000 out of her own pocket for treatment in Auckland — even after a discount from the doctor. Now she wants compensation from the Government because she is “financially vulnerable,” as she told MPs on the committee.

Bjorn Reymer wasn’t able to be with his pregnant wife when she was told she had miscarried at an Auckland hospital.

Instead, he told the committee, he had to stay in the carpark because of Covid-19 transmission concerns — concerns he said were invalid because hospital staff were not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

“She was given a box of tissues and left alone,” Reymer said.

And Rebekah from Wellington, who did not want to give her last name, spoke of the trauma she suffered after her partner, Cameron, was made to leave the hospital soon after she had given birth.

“I don’t support the draconian reasons for my partner not being able to be there,” she said. “The requirement to be alone was inhumane.”

Asked about this yesterday, Ardern said this instance does not “fit with our expectations that no one should birth alone”.

“Everyone should be able to have a support person with them through that experience.”

In fact, none of the experiences brought up in the committee sounded fair, she said.

“I don’t think anyone would think that even in these extraordinary times that that would be reasonable.”

She, and Bloomfield, said officials would look into these instances.

“Our duty of care is to try and reduce that burden as much as we can,” Ardern said.

“These are cases where it doesn’t sound like we have done that to the best of our ability.”