New Zealand at Alert Level 4
UPDATE
August 18
1.16pm
The Prime Minister and the Director-General of Health are currently giving an update to the nation at the Beehive.
Here's what you need to know:
- Genome sequencing was undertaken last night and it has been confirmed that this is linked to the NSW outbreak.
- There are no genomic matches to those cases at the border to this case.
- There are a further two cases to report in the community.
- From 11:59pm, it will be compulsory to wear masks when accessing essential services.
- From 8am tomorrow, the Covid-19 vaccination programme will resume.
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UPDATE
August 18
9.10am
- Four new cases have been identified, all genomically linked to the original case
- The original case has been confirmed as having the Delta variant
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New Zealand will move to a Level 4 lockdown after a community case was detected in Auckland.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was joined by Ashley Bloomfield at a press conference, where she confirmed that Auckland and Coromandel would move to Alert Level 4 from 11.59pm for seven days, while the rest of the country will be under Level 4 conditions for three days.
It is unknown whether this case is that of the Delta variant. Bloomfield stated that genome sequencing will be completed by tomorrow morning.
There is currently 23 locations of interest, 10 in Auckland and 13 in Coromandel. Current locations of interest can be found here.
The case has no links to the border and interviews are currently being undertaken with the case to find any possible locations of interest and how they came to be in contact with Covid-19.
Here's what you need to know:
- A refresh on Level restrictions and what it means for you.
- Here are the locations of interest.
- If you have any flu-like symptoms, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or ring your GP.
- Find your closest Covid-19 testing location on the Healthpoint website
- Essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open.
For more information, visit covid19.govt.nz.
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Christmas gifts stolen from parked car prompts warning over holiday break-ins
An Auckland man whose Christmas presents were stolen from his car on a quiet street is warning others not to repeat his mistake.
Police and the AA say opportunistic thieves are breaking into cars more frequently during the Christmas period.
Jeremy Rees, an RNZ staff member in Auckland, had packed his car full of gifts when he decided to visit a friend.
“Everyone had handed over presents and we had a couple of bags full of presents sitting in the back of the car,” he said.
“I decided it would be great to go around and see a friend, drop off some presents and say hello. My wife said to me, ‘Are you sure we should be taking this car?’ I said, ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine’.
“I think it was only 20 minutes outside their house, a very quiet street. It was light [outside]. We came out and my wife pointed out that someone had smashed the rear window, reached in and grabbed the presents, and headed away.
“It was a shock. It was a shock partly because of the Christmas presents and partly because my wife had been telling me, ‘Don’t do that’.”
AA Insurance head of motor claims Beau Paparoa said roadside staff were responding to smashed windows more often.
“We definitely see car break-ins starting to occur a lot more around this time of year. We’re often hearing from customers and some of our roadside teams that there’s definitely a bit more opportunistic theft happening,” he said.
“We’re putting that down to it being a busy time of year. Everyone’s out doing their Christmas shopping and there’s much more presence of gifts and valuables being visible in the car.”
He encouraged people to be careful and make sure valuables were hidden from view.
“In terms of any valuables, if you’ve done some Christmas shopping, or if generally you’ve got valuables in your car, try [to] keep them locked away or out of sight – in your boot if you can,” he said.
“Where you’re parking is possibly a good thing to think about. If you can afford to, don’t park on the street, but if you have to park on-street, make sure you park in well-lit areas.”
Police said it was not uncommon for Christmas presents to be stolen.
“The key is to remove any opportunity. This includes taking valuables or documents out of vehicles wherever possible,” a spokesperson said.
Rees said he wished he had followed that advice.
“I feel a bit stupid, to be absolutely honest. I read all of the things from police saying ‘don’t do this, don’t pack your car, don’t just leave it on the street’, and I did exactly the opposite and I paid the price.”
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Auckland Harbour Bridge summer works
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is carrying out essential maintenance on the Auckland Harbour Bridge this December and January. The southbound clip-on lanes will be closed (24/7) from 26 December to 5 January for road resurfacing. Night-time lane restrictions will be in place throughout the summer for recoating work on the bridge. Traffic will still be able to travel in both directions at all times.
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