Editorial: How many people would you have to contact if you had Covid-19?

Editor Ilona Hanne says lockdown isn't about finding ways around the rules.

The Prime Minister has asked us to all act us as though we already have Covid-19.

If we do that, she argues, then we will be more inclined to avoid unnecessary contact with others, enabling New Zealand to stamp out the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

So, now after over a week in lockdown, I ask you - are you doing that?

If you were to be tested and found to have the virus today, how many phone calls would the health board have to make to contacts of yours?

Would it be just your immediate bubble who would need to watch for symptoms? Or would the neighbour you talked to over the fence need to watch too? Not if you followed the rules of course, but did you really? Or did you lean on that fence, touching the rail your neighbour would also have touched?

Would you have to contact the people across your street, who have that dog you pat every day?

Does your friend need to be on the list too? You know the one, you sat on her sofa this week for a quick catch up. "But it was okay, she sat on her other sofa, so we were far enough apart ..."

What about every person on your street? When you joined in that clever "socially distant street party"? Of course, you followed the rules, every household brought their own chairs, parked them at the end of their driveway a good two metres away from the next house ... Just a shame you all shared the same table to put the snacks on, and the same chilly bin to store the beers in ...

Or what about your biking club friend. The one you cleverly texted so you could cycle the same route at the same time. Two metres apart of course, other than when you had to close in because a car was coming ... but that didn't matter right? You are both healthy after all ...

Would the warning the health board put out be just for shoppers on one day at your local supermarket? Or have you been there every second day this week?

This lockdown isn't about working your way around the rules, it is about following them, even when it is inconvenient. Sure, you might run out of a couple of handy pantry items in the middle of the week, but so are lots of people. Not all of whom instantly run off to the supermarket to get more. They do without until their next big shop.

People are dying of Covid-19, but to my knowledge, no one is dying of having to cope without their favourite biscuits for a few days.

So stop trying to be clever, and stop thinking the rules don't apply to you. Follow the rules like everyone else is and please, act like you already have Covid-19.

Any other behaviour just shows you have been infected with the Covidiot strain instead.