Covid 19 coronavirus: Lockdown breach numbers double over long weekend

The number of people caught flouting the lockdown rules has more than doubled over Easter.

Since the alert level 4 restrictions were put in place there have been 1452 breaches of the Civil Defence Emergency Act or the Health Act, a police spokeswoman said.

The number has leaped up since Saturday, at which point only 677 breaches had been recorded.

Of the 1452 total breaches so far, 1018 were breaches under the Health Act, resulting in 132 prosecutions, 864 warnings, and 22 youth referrals.

"There have also been 434 breaches under the Civil Defence Emergency Act, resulting in 37 prosecutions, 386 warnings, and 11 youth referrals," the spokeswoman said.

In total 169 have been prosecuted so far.

The alert level 4 lockdown was enforced as of midnight March 25, and police were out in force over Easter weekend at national highways checkpoints questioning motorists about their destinations.

Since March 26, much has been made of police powers and discretion when it comes to what people can and cannot do under the lockdown rules.

Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said Easter 2020 was different for everyone this year given the restrictions.

The message was clear going into the holiday break – be safe, stay home and save lives.

"In general Kiwis across the country got the message and they followed it.

"However for the minority that ignored the message police were there to educate and encourage and where necessary enforce," he said.

Police conducted more than 500 road checkpoints across the country to ensure people were following the rules and only undertaking essential travel over the long weekend.

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