Nation stirs back into life as workers return
Traffic mayhem expected on Auckland motorways after two-month lockdown
For the first time in nearly two months, thousands of New Zealanders will swap their slippers for shoes today as we enter our first full week of level 2.
Many businesses remained shut despite alert level 2 coming into place on Thursday so they could allow themselves time to work through issues such as hot-desking, hygiene and physical distancing.
Transport officials have warned traffic mayhem is likely on Auckland’s motorways this morning as more buses are put on to allow for distancing.
Hundreds of thousands of children will also trade home learning and virtual Zoom meetings for the classroom as schools around the country throw open their doors.
Sport is also slowly resuming. Super Rugby players today report to training, albeit a bit slower and possibly heavier than they were.
New Zealand’s only confirmed case of Covid-19 yesterday was a preschool boy from Canterbury linked to Christchurch’s Rosewood rest home cluster as a household contact of an earlier case.
It brought the total to 1499 and 96 per cent of those cases have now recovered. There were no additional deaths.
On Saturday, 4211 tests were completed. With the total number of tests conducted at 228,148, 4.6 per cent of the population has been tested.
In Auckland, because of physical distancing requirements, passengers on trains, buses and ferries will have allocated seats, limiting seated capacity to around 43 per cent, Auckland Transport (AT) says.
Mayor Phil Goff said the challenge was to get businesses running but not to have everyone travelling at the same time.
“I encourage businesses to look at how they can be flexible to reduce the load at peak times. This might mean staggering start and finish times and providing options for employees to travel off peak if possible.
“We should also encourage the option of people spending part of their work week working from home where they can do so productively.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern echoed Goff’s calls, saying safe physical distancing on buses, trains and ferries meant workers can’t all turn up at the same time.
The reopening of schools would put additional pressure on bus capacity, AT warned, and some urban buses were being redeployed to help with school runs.
Some idle tourist coaches and sightseeing buses would be added to school and public bus services.
“We are hoping to bring in around 50 extra buses, which is an increase of about 4 per cent,” AT spokesman Mark Hannan said.
He was also advising parents to wait with their young children to make sure they got a seat on the bus.
“We can’t guarantee there will be capacity for all students. If all available seats on the bus are taken, then the bus will not be able to accept any more passengers.
“We apologise if a school bus can’t take all students who want to use it.”
AT also planned to have support staff at key bus stops and train stations this morning to manage safe loading and physical distancing on platforms.
The Ministry of Health said it was a good time to start a daily well-being routine.
Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said it was great to see signs of life in the Auckland CBD, as scores of people returned to the city after level 2 restrictions came into force last Thursday.
Today was likely to breathe fresh life into the city.
“Certainly, we are expecting to see a lot more businesses opening up, including cafes and shops, which is great.
“It won’t be quite back to normal, as I imagine lots of people will still be working from home and remaining flexible, but there will be a lot more life in the city.”