Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Grant Robertson hits back at ScoMo Covid criticism

COVID LATEST:
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* Isolating families struggle to access food
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Three police checkpoints have been set up to stop people travelling in and out of Northland during alert level 4.

They are at the SH1 intersection with SH12, Mountain Road in Kaiwaka and Cove Road, by Bream Tail Road.

"We want our whānau and community to feel safe and we want to reassure our local communities that we have been, and will continue to take action where motorists choose to disregard the travel current restrictions," Superintendent Tony Hill, Northland District Commander, said.

Mangawhai residents are frustrated the checkpoints exclude them from the region and stop them from accessing essential services like supermarkets.

There are now 481 locations of interest, with new additions so far today including a shopping mall, a cinema complex and student accommodation.

There's nine visits to Wellesley Student Accommodation, a contemporary dance class at TAPAC and the Howick Primary School Hall meeting for the Bethany Baptist Bible Church.

There's also a new bus ride - Bus 18 between the Auckland CBD to New Lynn on Tuesday August 10 between 1.45pm and 2.45pm.

The Bethany Baptist Bible Church visit was on Sunday August 15 between 1.00pm and 4.00pm.

The latest sites announced today include more visits to Auckland supermarkets, McAuley High School in Otahuhu, Nandos Queen St, and Glassons Westfield Albany.

Earlier today, Finance Minister Grant Robertson dismissed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's criticism of how the country is handling its Covid-19 Delta outbreak.

Morrison last night likened New Zealand's continued focus on eliminating Covid with its highly contagious Delta strain to living in a cave and "absurd".

"Any state and territory that thinks that somehow they can protect themselves from Covid with the Delta strain forever, that's just absurd," Morrison told the 9 News Breakfast show today.

Robertson told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning that he disagreed with Morrison and backed the country's elimination strategy until experts advised otherwise.

"All of the experts continue to tell us the best strategy that we can take at the moment is elimination.

"I just don't see it the way that Scott Morrison and others are presenting it and certainly every public health expert I speak to says that what we're doing right now is exactly the right strategy for New Zealand."

Robertson said elimination had given the country one of the strongest economic responses and one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.

So far this morning the Ministry of Health has released eight more locations of interest, including three more Pak'nSave supermarkets, two Farmers stores and another university campus.

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"Covid is a new different world," Morrison said.

"We need to get out there and live in it. We can't stay in the cave, and we can get out of it safely," he said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also backed New Zealand's elimination strategy, telling Coast FM she wasn't "too fussed" by what Morrison had said and all the decisions made over the past 18 months were about New Zealand and not what other countries thought.

Epidemiologist Michael Baker told RNZ that people needed to remember that elimination was being achieved still in some countries and even states in Australia.

"It's largely a political statement," he said of Morrison's comments. "Elimination is a political choice."

As for wage subsidy, Robertson said he expected to see the number of businesses seeking the subsidy to increase.

At the moment it was primarily being sought by small businesses.

Money had been set aside for the subsidy, "the cash is on hand if we need to use it," he said.

Because the economy had rebounded so well after last year's lockdown debt levels were lower than expected.

Briscoe Group boss Rod Duke told Hosking it was both a reputational decision and a bottom line decision not to take the wage subsidy this time around.

"It's probably a bit of both. I think we are of the view it is probably not going to last that long and have greater effect this time."

However, that view could change if New Zealand ended up locked down like some of the states in Australia.

Duke said he expected the government to take a regional approach to bringing the country out of lockdown.

"I can see the South Island probably moving out of level four sooner rather than later for a start.

"I can see the rationale for leaving all the North Island in given the two major centres of Wellington and Auckland are in some trouble. I think with the meeting on Friday I honestly believe you will see the South Island come out to at least level three."