Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Whanganui close contacts mean lockdown extension 'a no-brainer'

Whanganui residents were out and about on Monday - the fifth day of the nationwide Alert Level 4 lockdown. Photo / Bevan Conley

With some close contacts of Covid-19 cases in the Whanganui DHB catchment, the Government's decision to extend the alert level 4 lockdown is the right one, Whanganui District Health Board chief executive Russell Simpson says.

But there is also concern at the impact a longer lockdown could have on local businesses.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday afternoon the nationwide alert level 4 lockdown will continue until at least 11.59pm on Friday, by which point Cabinet will have made a decision on the future of nationwide restrictions.

The decision to extend the restrictions comes after more than 13,000 close contacts were identified across the country along the length and breadth of the country.

There are also now more than 200 locations of interest across the country, including the BP in Bulls, Z in Waiouru and a Waiouru public toilet facility.

While there have been no positive cases identified in the Whanganui catchment Simpson said there are a number of close contacts of positive cases and the extension of the lockdown was the right one while health authorities attempt to paint a more detailed picture of the outbreak.

"It's right to take a cautious wait and see approach," Simpson said.

"It's a practical approach given the number of unknowns that are still out there around close contacts and places of interest."

Simpson said that testing across the district was continuing at a steady pace.

"The community have certainly come out [to be tested], and it certainly does add validity to our knowledge about if we have Covid in the community. Coupled with the wastewater testing, it does help with our knowledge.

"But we are still seeing people present that possibly don't need to, and we are encouraging those that have been in locations of interest or who are symptomatic to continue to present."

"If people are symptomatic, they need to present for a test."

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said while he was hoping for a level shift on Tuesday he understood the rationale behind the extension.

"A little part of me hoped the regions might be given a level 3, but I completely understand the rationale behind the decision - there are just too many variables and we need to keep everybody safe," McDouall said.

"Hearing the numbers with thousands of close contacts around the country, I think it's clear we had to spend a bit longer in Level 4."

McDouall said testing was the key to our path out of this lockdown.

"It is comforting to see the amount of testing going on, and that the wastewater is showing Wellington and Auckland currently, but it is about being cautious."

Whanganui MP Steph Lewis agreed, saying that with so many close contacts nationwide, an extension was a no-brainer.

"There's still thousands of people deemed as contacts spread across the country. We need time to ramp up testing, vaccination and contact tracing across the country," Lewis said.

"We saw there was a place of interest just down the road in Bulls which people found a little bit close to home. This extension gives people certainty and time to keep gathering that information we still need."

There were still a number of cars on the road on Monday, as well as a number of members of the public out getting some exercise. Photo / Bevan Conley

Meanwhile, Whanganui Chamber of Commerce President Glenda Brown said while she was generally supportive of the extension, there was some concern from businesses.

"Naturally, our members are concerned about the impact this lockdown is having and will have on their businesses. While we understand the nature of the Delta variant of Covid, obviously we are concerned for our businesses and the impact this longer lockdown will have," Brown said.

"While we know that this lockdown is necessary, we hope that, in the coming weeks, we will see the lockdown become regionally specific."

Brown said that in Whanganui, residents were resilient and knew the drill when it came to locking down.

"It was good to see some Government assistance rolled out immediately for businesses to access and we encourage our members to take advantage of this."