New Zealand's pandemic restrictions were extended for another four days on Friday (Aug 27), after which they will be loosened significantly, while businesses and schools will stay closed and Auckland, the country's largest city, will be shut down for longer.
With the exception of a few instances in February, New Zealand had been essentially virus-free until last week, when an outbreak of the Delta coronavirus strain erupted, causing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to impose a statewide lockdown.
Ms Ardern said at a press conference that the outbreak, which has affected roughly 350 people so far, may be nearing its peak.
"We may be seeing the start of a case plateau," Ms Ardern added. “However, caution is still necessary.”
Except for Auckland and Northland, the country's northernmost district, she ordered all of New Zealand to move one step lower to alert level 3 restrictions on Wednesday, September 1.
This implies that businesses can only accept online orders and provide contactless services, and pubs and restaurants, with the exception of takeaways, will be closed. Public venues are still closed, and marriages and funerals are limited to a maximum of ten persons.
“You might be able to order some food,” Ms Ardern acknowledged, “but there aren't a lot of other freedoms.”
Meanwhile, roughly 2 million people in Auckland and Northland will stay under full level 4 lockdown for another two weeks, according to Ms Ardern.
Businesses have been let down.
On Friday, the country reported 70 additional instances of Covid-19 in the community, all in Auckland's epicenter, bringing the total number of cases to 347.
Ms Ardern's strong lockdowns and the closure of the international border in March 2020 managed to contain Covid-19, but the government now confronts worries about a delayed vaccination distribution as well as mounting costs in a country highly reliant on immigrants.
Only approximately 21% of the country's 5.1 million individuals have been fully vaccinated, the slowest rate among the OECD's wealthier nations.
The lockdown extension was "disappointing," according to Leeann Watson, Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce.
“While the government must always consider the impact on public health when making decisions, the reality is that ongoing lockdowns cannot be part of our long-term future,” Ms Watson said.
The lockdowns, according to Mr Mike Toweel, CEO of LED Display and Sign Specialist firm VitrineMedia NZ, have been "heartbreaking" for small businesses.
In a phone conversation from Sydney, Mr Toweel stated, "We are all stakeholders in the New Zealand economy." Due to border constraints, the Australian has been unable to return to New Zealand.
“What the New Zealand government fails to recognize is that each time they have a knee-jerk reaction, they are putting another chink in the armor of business confidence.”
Ms Ardern supported the government's approach, claiming that eliminating the virus was the best tactic until everyone had been vaccinated.
“At the moment, our goal is to vaccinate more people than any other country in the world, and New Zealand is doing very well at that,” she said.
