Police say remaining at alert level 4 for another week was an opportunity for everyone to solidify the efforts of the past four weeks. Photo / File
Police say remaining at alert level 4 for another week was an opportunity for everyone to solidify the efforts of the past four weeks. Photo / File
New Zealand will move to alert level 3 in the fight against Covid-19 from 11.59pm next Monday, a move seemingly welcomed by emergency services but not without challenge.
Police say remaining at alert level 4 for another week was an opportunity for everyone to solidify the efforts of the past four weeks.
A spokesperson said they would remain highly visible and continue with an education-first approach to compliance.
"We urge all New Zealanders to keep up the good work by staying local, maintaining your bubbles and adhering to the restrictions around exercise and outdoor activities," the spokesperson said.
"No matter what alert level we are in, police's focus will remain on supporting New Zealanders and making sure they are safe, protected and informed."
At the start of the lockdown there had been some confusion about what the rules meant, but in the past two weeks or so that had been clearer, he said.
"There was a lot of frustration from police at the start, they weren't even clear themselves.
"We certainly had reports of different interpretations from different police officers which is never a good thing."
Consistency across the board from police was so important, he said.
Moving to level 3 could again present some challenges, for instance Cahill questioned if it would be clear to everyone what their region was or how customers could use reopened businesses.
"We think there need to be some really clear guidelines put out, rather than just presuming that people understand the interpretation."
The Government would need to provide more information, he said, and they would like to see that by the close of business on Wednesday.
Cahill said with more people on the roads under the level 3 alert, randomly stopping vehicles would not be as viable from a police perspective.
He believed moving forwards there would be more of a focus on any groups gathering.
There was still a big job looming for police while the country remains in level 4 this week.
"Without a doubt there will be more conversations," Cahill said emphasising over the long weekend the rules were still in place.
More people had been losing their patience a bit and pushing their luck lately, he said, but the number of breaches remained low in comparison to the country's population of about five million people.
On the whole, New Zealanders were to be congratulated, he added.
Cahill encouraged people to do their best to understand what level 3 would look like for them as an individual and for their bubble.
Under level 3, fire stations will remain restricted to critical personnel with firefighters continuing to wear PPE when they turn up to a call where patients are showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Fenz chief executive Rhys Jones said New Zealanders need to remain vigilant and hold off on non-essential outdoor fires so that firefighters do not need to leave their bubbles unnecessarily.
"Burning rubbish and garden waste is not essential right now," he said.
"Even if the fire is under control, the smoke often results in 111 calls which mean our firefighters need to deal with an avoidable call and risk exposure to Covid-19.
"Please be patient and wait until it is safe."
Jones said people should take the time to check their smoke alarms are working and make sure their bubble has an escape plan.
"Make sure your work stations aren't overloading power plugs - one appliance per socket - and don't leave cooking unattended," he said,
"If you need to walk away from your cooking for any reason, make sure you switch off the stove."
Jones also thanked firefighters, emergency services and essential workers for their continued service during unprecedented times.
"We are proud of the way our people have adjusted to working under Covid-19 while continuing to focus on keeping themselves safe in order to care for and serve their communities during this difficult time."
