New Zealand PM Ardern declares national emergency to tackle coronavirus

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New Zealand PM Ardern declares national emergency to tackle coronavirus

By Praveen Menon

 

FILE PHOTO: People take out products from their supermarket shopping cart and load them into their car outside Pak'nSave supermarket amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Martin Hunter

 

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday declared a state of national emergency as the country prepared to go into a complete lockdown at midnight to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

 

New Zealand's cases of the coronavirus surged to 205 cases as the government imposed self-isolation for everyone, with all non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut for a month from 1100 GMT.

 

"From midnight tonight, we bunker down for four weeks to try and stop the virus in its tracks, to break the chain," Ardern told parliament.

 

"Make no mistake this will get worse before it gets better. We will have a lag and cases will increase for the next week or so. Then we’ll begin to know how successful we have been."

 

Ardern told parliament the lockdown was triggered by early evidence of community transmission of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. A record 50 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday.

 

"If you have any questions about what you can or can’t do, apply a simple principle: Act like you have COVID-19," Ardern said.

 

"Every move you then make is a risk to someone else. That is how we must all collectively think. That’s why the joy of physically visiting other family, children, grandchildren, friends, neighbours is on hold. Because we’re all now putting each other first. And that is what we as a nation do so well."

 

All non-essential services, bars, restaurants, cafes, gyms, cinemas, pools, museums, libraries, playgrounds and any other place where the public congregate will be closed.

 

Supermarkets, doctors, pharmacies, service stations and access to essential banking services will all be available.

 

Ardern warned the restrictions will be strictly enforced.

 

This is only the second time in New Zealand’s history that a national emergency has been declared, with the first one on 23 February 2011, after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the South Island city of Christchurch, killing almost 200.

 

New Zealand, with about 5 million people, has fewer infections than many other countries, but Ardern's government wants to move fast to halt the spread. It was one of the first to force all arriving travellers into self-isolation and to ban indoor and outdoor gatherings.

 

Cases in neighbouring Australia have soared past 2,250 and officials have warned infections could overwhelm medical services.

 

India's 1.3 billion population also went into complete lockdown for 21 days to protect the world's second most populous country from coronavirus.

 

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-25

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[car720]

Lord in heaven, save us from the 'she'll be right mates'.

So many hillbillies seem to think the whole thing is fake.

Coronavirus is the current plague.  Brainlessness is the eternal plague.

[mfd101]

Probably sound policy & action. If NZ can't control it (with its Anglo cultural background, small size & distance from the main threat (in NZ that always means Oz)), then noone can.

 

On the other hand, she does have an election campaign under way which she is quite likely to lose, so every little helps ...

[Katipo]

What ever one might think of Jacinda, she is excellent in a crisis. Strong, compassionate, and decisive. She also listens to the experts, explains the decisions she is making, and why they need to be made. Putting herself front and centre, where a leader needs to be in times like these. Good on her.

[phantomfiddler]

52 minutes ago, car720 said:

Lord in heaven, save us from the 'she'll be right mates'.

So many hillbillies seem to think the whole thing is fake.

Coronavirus is the current plague.  Brainlessness is the eternal plague.

But I don,t think they closed the bars during the plague ????

[Roadman]

59 minutes ago, Katipo said:

What ever one might think of Jacinda, she is excellent in a crisis. Strong, compassionate, and decisive. She also listens to the experts, explains the decisions she is making, and why they need to be made. Putting herself front and centre, where a leader needs to be in times like these. Good on her.

Absolute twaddle. The decision was forced by our senior health professionals who were coming out in the media as early as late last week to say we should be going to immediate lockdown as it has the potential to get beyond the country's medical resources to cope with it. That they were having to use the media to get the coalition of clowns to finally act this week says it all. Plus we have had people wandering into this country from the worst infected areas of the world with a boys scout promise that they would self isolate. I can recall even about 8 weeks ago a Kiwi straight from Wuhan saying NZ immigration has no interest in him even when he told them where he was from. Strong and decisive my left ball. 

But no worries as she reflects the "she'll be right" attitude of most Kiwis. Having visited both an Asian and a western supermarket in Auckland yesterday it was no suprise to see which group with their face masks (okay a bit overboard) gloves and hand sanitizers in their cars to clean down versus absolutely nothing had the seriousness of the virus figured out. 

[Kiwiken]

I support 100% the shutdown and Isolation Policy albeit a month late. Glad they are going to quarantine new Arrivals from now. Again another thing i would have done a month ago. i am  kiwi and employed in an essential Service but as I am high risk with lung  and Kidney disease My Employer has made the call that i must isolate. Whether i survive financially is another story but better broke than dead. I wear My Face mask and gloves and must say in a multicultural work force In My Distribution Centre) then incident of blase behaviour is across the board. As many of all ilks either think this is a joke or take it seriously. Personally if you are in your late 50's and think She'll be right you are asking to be a statistic. Been there done that will battle from home. Good Luck Everyone. Stay Safe

[natway09]

Roadman is an unbeliever.

Read the bl,,y thing,,, he said listens to the specialists, which is exactly correct.

No time for party politics right now old chap