Regional travel will be allowed under level 2 restrictions but the nation’s borders will remain closed for a ‘long time’, PM warns
New Zealanders will begin easing back to normality this week as almost two months of strict lockdown comes to an end following the country’s successful battle against Covid-19.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that the country would downgrade from Level 3 to Level 2 restrictions on Thursday, allowing schools to reopen, workers to return to their offices, and restaurants and retail stores to resume trade. Recreational and competitive sport could also restart, and libraries, playgrounds and museums would open.
Bars would reopen on 21 May, Ardern said, as they have been deemed “high-risk” by the director-general of health, and social gatherings would be limited to 10, including at weddings and funerals.
Less than 1,500 people have been infected with Covid-19 in New Zealand after the government pursued a vigorous elimination strategy, shutting its borders on 15 March and entering a country-wide lockdown on 25 March.
Ardern thanked her “team of five million” for the sacrifices they had made to protect the country’s most vulnerable, specifically the elderly and immunosuppressed.
“Kiwis from all walks of life were resolute and determined – determined that this was a war we could eventually win, but only if we acted together,” Ardern said.
“The battle is won, but the war is not over.”
Currently, 90 New Zealanders have Covid-19 and two people are in hospital. The country now has the capacity to do 1,200 tests a day; a higher testing rate per capita than Australia, the UK, Singapore and South Korea.
Domestic travel will be permitted under level two, but the borders will remain closed to international visitors for a “long time” Ardern said; a blow for the tourism industry as the ski season approaches.
Some restrictions on daily life will remain under level 2. Social distancing will be widespread, strangers are to be avoided, and bars and restaurants can only serve seated customers. Vigorous hygiene rules still apply across the country, but masks do not need to be worn in public.Ardern said restrictions on social gatherings would be reviewed in two weeks’ time.
While New Zealand’s efforts to contain the virus have been praised by the World Health Organisation, the tight restrictions have drawn some criticism from the business community and economists. The economy expected to contract up to 8% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Ardern’s insistence on saving lives and taking no chances during the pandemic has won her many fans, with the last political poll putting public trust in the government at more than 80%.
Lockdown restrictions in New Zealand were among the strictest in the world, with food, medicines and brief bouts of exercise the only activities New Zealanders were permitted to leave their home for during lockdown.
Still, some New Zealanders greeted news of the lowering of restrictions with trepidation.