Monday, March 23, 2020
The government of New Zealand has urged to remain in isolation and also to keep social distancing. The alert level gives Ms Ardern’s government sweeping powers to restrict movement, lock people at home, and requisition resources to fight the deadly coronavirus. The military will even be used to enforce the measures along with police, but armed soldiers would not be patrolling the streets.
The supermarkets and pharmacies will stay open but supplies rationed, and private facilities pressed into public service.
A ‘major reprioritisation of healthcare services’ would also be involved to combat coronavirus as the biggest public health threat.
Going for a walk or run outside would be permitted, but people had to stay 2m from anyone who they did not live with. Ms Ardern said also said that she had a very keen sense of the magnitude of this moment in the history of New Zealand and they did not take this decision for the complete lockdown from Wednesday lightly.
She also added that they are all absolutely believe, this is the right thing to do. They will save lives by taking these measures then.
Level 3 was immediately put in place, which restricts travel in badly-affected areas and bans all mass gatherings of any kind. The public venues like libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, amusement parks are closed along with some businesses.
The face-to-face health consultations, like GP visits, are banned and all elective surgeries postponed.
Ms Ardern said that the lockdown would be phased in through level 3 so people had two days to ‘get their things in order’. Mr Morrison shut down many businesses including gyms, pubs, cafes and restaurants across the country from 12pm on Monday. He had on Sunday morning insisted such measures were not yet necessary as he tried to prevent, or at least delay, massive economic damage.
He was forced to change his tune and impose a national ban after the two states and Canberra broke ranks just an hour after he finished speaking.
