Kate Hawkesby: Weak links expose us all to Covid 19 coronavirus outbreaks

So the pressure's on us now.

And here's my great fear... we get let down by the weak links.

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The larrikin students who think this is a joke and want to keep going between flats and socialising.

The holidaymakers who see this as a bit of an extended holiday and want to head out fishing, surfing or to the beach. For your information, the Coastguard says that's a no-no, no matter what your mate Darryl says.

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The friends who think that if they exercise in the park together, it should be okay because they're outside and they're keeping some distance.

The well-intentioned dog walker stopping to chat to another dog owner and patting each other's pets

These are all no-no's.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

The problem is – are we listening? Are we organised? Are we serious? Do we get it?

For all those who criticised the initial pressure to move fast, and threw out words like "hysteria" and "scaremongering": Wake up, this is real.

We have to move fast for a reason.

Look around you – look at the rest of the world. It's coming our way.

Our "she'll be right, mate" Kiwi attitude does not apply here. We must be vigilant.

We must ensure our kids are vigilant – do the teenagers get it? Not really. How do we get through to them? By reminding them over and over and over, that this is life or death. No, maybe not for them, but for anyone else they may come into contact with.

Here's the other reason – the longer we don't take it seriously, then the longer we're in lockdown. If you think four weeks is bad, try 12.

The sad reality of this is, we have a window of opportunity to close it out. In China, they achieved their comeback by being vigilant, militaristic and serious about it. No, we are not authoritarian Communists, but we should be looking very closely at how seriously they took this.

Kate Hawkesby. Photo / Michael Craig

We are so loose here in the West.. us, Australia, the UK, the US, we are so hopeless at abiding rules and taking things seriously.

Most of us, are trying to do the right thing yes, but my fear is for the idiots who don't. A very large dice is being rolled on all of our lives and livelihoods.