NEWS: COVID-19 Alert Level 3 in Auckland

Aug 13, 2020 • Public Health and Safety

On Wednesday, 12^th August 2020, it was announced that Auckland would be moving into Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand would be going to Alert Level 2. This is due to new community transmission cases of COVID-19 being found in Auckland. You can learn more about current cases on the Ministry of Health website. Initially Auckland was to be at Alert Level 3 for “at least 3 days”, but at a press conference early this evening Jacinda confirmed that this has been extended to another 12 days.

The current advice from the Unite Against COVID-19 website on Alert Level 3 is as follows:

IF YOU ARE NOT WELL

If you are sick, stay at home.
If you have symptoms of a cold or the flu, call your doctor or Healthline for advice.
If you are told to self-isolate, please do this immediately. You can get detailed information on how to self-isolate from the Ministry of Health website.

WORKPLACES AND BUSINESSES

Can only open if employees are not able to work from home, and
Workplaces are able to operate safely, and
Customers do not enter the premises, and
Trade can be done without close physical contact (phone, online, contactless delivery and pick-up, drive-through)
Supermarkets, dairies, and petrol stations will remain open and can have customers on the premises, but social distancing needs to be maintained as much as possible.
Contact tracing records should be kept for any close interaction and the government QR code poster should be displayed to be used with the NZ COVID Tracer app.
Pharmacies and other health services will remain open.

PERSONAL MOVEMENT

Stay home unless you are going to work, school or to access an essential service such as going to the supermarket.
Always stay in your household bubbles apart from the above instances.
Keep your bubbles exclusive.
Bubbles can be expanded to include close family, caregivers or to support isolated people.
DO NOT have social visits from friends, family, or whanau.
Maintain physical distances of 2 metres outside the home such as when you are at the supermarket.
Covering your face is highly recommended. This can be done with face masks or with other items such as scarves and bandanas. There are a lot of tutorials online about how to make your own face masks ranging from sewing your own to creating masks from other items of clothing. This means if you cannot find masks in the shops, you should still be able to find a way to cover your face when you are out.

TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT

Travel is restricted to local areas such as going to the supermarket, school, work or getting exercise.
Physical distancing should be observed at all times and face coverings are strongly recommended.
Traveling out of, into or through Auckland is extremely restricted as the city is at Alert Level 3.
You can travel into or out of the Auckland region if you returning to your place of residence i.e. where you live but not for holidays or visits.
There are few exemptions to these travel restrictions and police will be monitoring this very closely at checkpoints throughout Auckland.
Gatherings for up to 10 people are only allowed for weddings, funerals and tangihanga.
Only low-risk activities are allowed for recreation and exercise purposes, e.g. walking, running, swim at the beach and fishing.
Higher-risk activities or activities that involve teamwork or close contact are not allowed, e.g. boating, yachting, and team sports.

IF YOU ARE UNWELL PLEASE CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR HEALTHLINE ON 0800 358 5453 FOR ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE GENERAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE VISIT THE COVID WEBSITE BEFORE CALLING TO KEEP THE LINES FREE FOR THOSE NEED THEM.

YOU CAN GET TESTED AT YOUR GP, LOCAL URGENT CARE CLINIC OR AT A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY TESTING CENTRES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY:

NORTHLAND TESTING CENTRES

AUCKLAND TESTING CENTRES

WAIKATO TESTING CENTRES

BAY OF PLENTY, ROTORUA, AND TAUPO

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES

Unite Against COVID-19:

https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-general-public/covid-19-self-isolation-close-contacts-and-travellers

https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-resources-and-tools/nz-covid-tracer-app