PM: Dob in price gougers

Government launches online scheme for consumers to turn in businesses using the lockdown to gouge prices.

The Government has set up an email account to dob in price gougers after allegations some businesses were using the lockdown to put up prices.

People who spot businesses raising prices can report their allegations to pricewatch@mbie. govt.nz. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said firms that were found to have put up prices without a valid reason would likely have breached the Fair Trading Act.

Ardern said she had seen reports of price gouging on social media and encouraged people to report any further allegations to the email account.

‘‘No-one wants to see anyone take unfair financial advantage from this extraordinary period.’’

She said the Government was not looking at allowing greengrocers to reopen to provide extra competition.

‘‘Unfortunately that would undermine what we are trying to do, which is limit the public’s contact with workers and each other,’’ she said.

The Government is still looking at whether supermarkets should now be exempt from Easter trading hours, allowing them to stay open the whole weekend.

Ardern said the main concern was whether supermarkets needed the additional time to restock shelves. Other concerns relating to the lockdown were being worked on ‘‘urgently’’ but had yet to be resolved.

Some business have been reported as telling workers they will be on leave without pay if they are unable to work over the lockdown, despite the Government rolling out a wage subsidy scheme to encourage people who should not be at work to take leave.

‘‘The risk is that if these workers cannot work from home, had exhausted their sick leave or do not have income support they might be pressured to keep going to work. We do not want that,’’ Ardern said.

She said the Government was ‘‘urgently working on guidance in this area’’ and the matter was raised at Cabinet yesterday.

At an earlier briefing yesterday director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there were 76 new cases of coronavirus confirmed since Sunday. This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand to 589, 63 of whom have now recovered.

Police Commissioner Mike

Bush warned he had seen people not maintaining physical distancing, and warned police checkpoints could be put up to enforce the lockdown.

Bush said three people had been arrested in relation to the lockdown, two of whom had already been released.

The new online reporting system for people who observe others not complying with the lockdown rules has had 4200 reports so far.

Bush said there had been a ‘‘very slight’’ reduction in reports of family violence.

Two police officers have tested positive for Covid-19.

Bush said the police had been working with local communities that wanted checkpoints established to make sure they were ‘‘absolutely lawful’’.

Twelve patients with Covid-19 are in hospital but three were expected to be discharged today.

Two cases are in intensive care.

New Zealand had its first death from Covid-19 on Sunday.

Anne Guenole, who was in her 70s, remains New Zealand’s only Covid-19 fatality. The number of cases had been expected to steadily rise in the first few days of the lockdown. Instead, the total number of new cases announced each day has fluctuated recently between 63 and 85. But Bloomfield warned New Zealanders not to get complacent, cautioning that the number of Covid-19 cases would likely rise in coming days.

‘‘The infections diagnosed today are people infected five, seven or 10 days ago, so that is why we will expect the numbers to continue increasing for a while yet.’’

Bloomfield said most cases continued to be connected to overseas travel. Of the 455 cases where the Government has detailed information, 57 per cent of cases are linked to overseas travel, while 27 per cent have a close link to a known case.

‘‘The infections diagnosed today are people infected five, seven or 10 days ago.’’ Dr Ashley Bloomfield Director-general of health