New Zealand has successfully eliminated Covid-19 in the community, with all recent positives coming inside managed isolation facilities. [83][84], On 19 March, the Government required the cancellation of indoor gatherings of more than 100 people. [352][353], On 16 April, Stuff Chief Executive Sinead Boucher asked staff earning more than $50,000 to take a 15% pay cut while the executive team will take a 25% pay cut. The Bill was opposed by the opposition National and ACT parties, and the Human Rights Commission. The mutated … [494] The country officially entered a recession in September after Statistics New Zealand reported a GDP contraction of 12.2% in the second quarter of 2020. 4,000 people attended the Auckland rally alone, which saw participants marching from Aotea Square down Queen Street to the American Consulate General. "COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill", which allows local authorities to meet remotely, the Government to take over schools, and prevents no-cause evictions and freezes rents for six months. The decision of whether to increase the limit of a gathering without physical distancing from ten is set to be made on 25 May. While Prime Minister Ardern had initially claimed that some workers were reluctant, Health Minister Chris Hipkins acknowledged that he was aware that the testing of border staff was incomplete during a briefing, stating that "they should not have been declined tests." Clark, who was disciplined by the prime minister for violating lockdown requirements, was not listed among the 291 breaches reported. [1], Broken down by district health board (DHB) as of 17 November 2020[update]:[1], No cases have been reported in the Chatham Islands,[557] Stewart Island,[citation needed] New Zealand's associated states (Cook Islands, Niue) or the dependent territory of Tokelau. This applies to all travellers, even if they are New Zealand citizens, but excludes travel from the Pacific islands unless the traveller is symptomatic. The British High Commission and consular services in Wellington have been criticised for closing their operations the previous week. New Zealand is mostly free of COVID-19 and welcomed … [241], In February 2020, the New Zealand Government used a chartered Air New Zealand flight to evacuate 193 passengers from Wuhan, China, including 54 New Zealand citizens, 44 permanent residents, 35 Australians, and several Pacific Islands nationals. The Take Note store in Gore would relocate but H & J Smith's stores in Invercargill and Queenstown would remain open. [263], On 12 July, it was reported that the Government would be establishing a special isolation facility for returning New Zealanders who had been deported from Australia after the Australian Government resumed its deportation policy in late June 2020. Covid 19 coronavirus: Harsher new testing regime for UK and US arrivals to New Zealand 31 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM 3 minutes to read Victoria's streak of 61 days without a single case of Covid-19 … [537], In late September, it was reported that three German yachties had defied New Zealand's COVID-19 laws by sailing from Tahiti to Opua, Northland despite having their application for a border exemption denied by Immigration New Zealand. [253][254] On 12 April, the mercy flight carrying 16 New Zealanders landed in Melbourne. The company is projected to lose $3 million in meat. Household transmission could be occurring, and there are single or isolated cluster outbreaks. Air New Zealand subsequently apologised for providing the passengers with incorrect information. The country moved down to Level 1 on 8 June, removing all remaining restrictions except border controls. Covid-19 test. 120 staff), stop recruitment, and reduce spending on capital projects. On 4 September, after 98 days with no deaths, the country's 23rd death from COVID-19 was reported in Auckland. [348][349][350][351], On 14 April, NZME announced that they were laying off 15% of their workforce (roughly 200 jobs) as a result of the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus. "New Zealanders are basically living in a world without Covid," Bloomberg's authors wrote in the report, which is available in full. [55] By 31 December, there were a total of 55 active cases in New Zealand, bringing the total number of cases to 2,162 (1,806 confirmed and 356 probable). [364], On 12 May, hardware and DIY chain Bunnings announced that it will close seven stores in Ashburton, Hornby, Hastings, Cambridge, Rangiora, Te Awamutu, and Putaruru with the loss of 145 jobs. contact to be maintained only with people staying in the same abode/room; common social and recreation areas to be closed; split shift access to common areas). [140], On 25 May, Prime Minister Ardern raised the limits on social gatherings including religious services, weddings, and funerals to 100, which came into effect at 12pm on 29 May 2020. Four of these new cases were in Auckland, two in the Waikato region, one in Christchurch, and one in . The last hospitalised person was also discharged on 27 May with only one active case remaining in the country by the end of the month. On January 3, 2021, the government of New Zealand announced that it will be requiring all travelers entering New Zealand from the United States or the United Kingdom to present a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 in order to be allowed into the country. [457][456] The University of Otago in Dunedin has also shifted classes with more than 100 students online while students at the University of Canterbury have petitioned for all classes to be moved online. [363], On 10 April, hardware giant Mitre 10 announced that it would lay off staff at its Albany support centre in Auckland. All sports matches and events as well as non-essential services such as pools, bars, cafes, restaurants, playgrounds were required to close in 48 hours, while essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations, and health services would remain open.[92][93][94]. The new rules, explained", "Government confirms Covid-19 vaccine will be free in speech setting out goals for next three years", "Covid-19: One new case in managed isolation, ministry cuts back on updates", "Covid 19 coronavirus: Cook Islands, New Zealand travel bubble without quarantine from early next year", "Travel bubble with Australia could be early next year - PM", "Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand and Australia to launch travel bubble in early 2021", "New Zealand travel bubble with Australia coming in early 2021, NZ PM confirms", "Covid-19: UK and US travellers to need pre-departure tests before departing to NZ", "Government warned against introducing pre-departure Covid-19 testing", "Government seeks infrastructure projects", "Auckland Council announces 73 priority infrastructure projects", "$650 million 'shovel ready' project list submitted to Government", "10. A snippet of what our current lives are like in New Zealand during this Covid-19 lockdown These students will undergo the two-week mandatory quarantine. This included a requirement for essential workers to provide a letter from the Ministry for Primary Industries proving that their travel complied with lockdown rules, which were eased when Alert Level 4 came to an end on 28 April. The last day the country had no cases was six and half weeks ago on October 19. Returning New Zealanders are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon entry. The extra fuel and crew change … The testing data is reported with prioritised ethnicity. [324], On 3 August, Auckland International Airport announced that it would be splitting its international terminal into separate zones for travellers from "safe travel hubs" and "health management" areas in anticipation for the establishment of a safe air corridor between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Each Alert Level tells us what measures we need to take. Since 10 April, all New Zealanders returning from overseas must go into two weeks of managed isolation. The number of active cases is the number of total confirmed and probable cases minus the number of recoveries and deaths. Of those, 1,214 -- of 82% of confirmed and probably cases -- … As of 15 December 2020[update], the country has had a total of 2,096 cases (1,740 confirmed and 356 probable[a]), of which 61 are currently active, and 25 people have died from the virus, with cases recorded in all twenty district health board (DHB) areas. New Zealand Coronavirus(COVID-19) statistics. [534] Boag, who also admitted leaking similar information to National MP Michael Woodhouse, subsequently resigned from her position with the Helicopter Trust and her membership of the National Party. Zero new cases were reported on 19 May, but four 'historic' cases were added to the total number. [8][9] On 7 October, Auckland also moved down to level 1.[10]. The first case of the disease in New Zealand was reported on 28 February 2020. National Party COVID-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop welcomed the tests but called for them to be extended to visitors from all countries. New clusters may emerge but can be controlled through testing and contact tracing. The rest of New Zealand would remain on a Level 2 restrictions until at least 6 September. Beginning on 25 March, the Alert Level was moved to Level 4, putting the country into a nationwide lockdown. In addition, 97 jobs were lost at Air NZ's regional airlines Air Nelson and Mount Cook Airline. Following criticism from Director-General Bloomfield and students, the University retracted its decision and delayed plans to resume on-campus teaching until 5 October 2020. The poll also found that 64% of New Zealanders still "totally" trusted the Government and Ministry of Health, down from 75% in April. The family had initially been denied entry into New Zealand but the Prime Minister had sought a review of the case after the Weekend Herald reported on the family's situation on 10 October. [330], On 24 March, two local authorities and the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association announced that they were closing their camping grounds. The … [327], On 14 September, Jetstar announced that it was resuming domestic flights in New Zealand after Prime Minister Ardern announced that physical distancing on aircraft was no longer required. New Zealand recorded its first day of no new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) early this week, more than a month after its strict lockdown began. [56], The Ministry of Health set up the National Health Coordination Centre (NHCC) on 28 January in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. On 1 April, Ardern described 20–29 year olds as the most vulnerable demographic to COVID-19 and called on them to comply with lockdown requirements. The total for 8 October includes two imported cases and one "historical" imported case. [129][130], On 6 May, ahead of the announcement on 11 May about when the country would move down to Alert Level 2, Ardern gave information on how the country would function at Alert Level 2, with several changes from the original outline in March. 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[333], On 20 May, building company Fletcher Building announced that they would be laying off at least 1,000 jobs in New Zealand and 500 jobs in Australia, amounting to ten percent of their workforce. A final decision will be made in early June. Businesses should help with rule seven by displaying a QR code.