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Get used to seeing the other side of your front door for the next four weeks. Here’s the rules of Alert Level 4.
Get used to seeing the other side of your front door for the next four weeks. Here’s the rules of Alert Level 4.

SocietyMarch 24, 2020

Covid-19: What are the rules for lockdown in New Zealand?

Contributing writer
Get used to seeing the other side of your front door for the next four weeks. Here’s the rules of Alert Level 4.
Get used to seeing the other side of your front door for the next four weeks. Here’s the rules of Alert Level 4.

New Zealand is about to move to alert level four in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will put the nation, in effect, on lockdown for four weeks. At least. Here’s what that means in practice.

When does it start and what do I do?

The lockdown starts at 11:59pm on Wednesday. From this point on, unless you are providing an essential service or going to the supermarket or getting a bit of brisk exercise (at a distance from others), you must self-isolate at home.

What should I do before the lockdown starts?

Don’t panic. Make sure everyone in your household knows the rules of self-isolation. Prepare to work from home if you’re not already.

What will be open?

“Essential services” will remain open. You can find a list of them here. In summary: Supermarkets, doctors, service stations and pharmacies will remain open, and will remain stocked. There may be certain restrictions, like different opening hours or a limit on the amount of people allowed in-store, but they will remain open.

Shop for the supplies you need, but go as infrequently as possible. The point of the entire exercise is to as far as possible eliminate people’s contact with one another. And remember to stay vigilant, even while you’re shopping. Stay two metres away from each other. 

Will schools be closed?

Yes. Same for ECE and tertiary institutions.

Do I have to self-isolate from my own household?

No. The idea is you form a bubble; say, your family or the group you flat with. Unless one of you is sick, in which case that person should self-isolate as a precaution within the self-isolation. A bubble within a bubble.

Can I go visit friends or family?

No. Your self-isolating unit, or “bubble”, is the only direct social contact you’re allowed. That means you and the other people you live with. As Jacinda Ardern put it, “Whatever your bubble for the month is the bubble that you must maintain.”

If you need to stay social – which is recommended for mental health and wellbeing – we’ve written a few tips about things you can do while self-isolating.

What if I live alone?

Ardern has suggested a “buddy system”; if you live alone, you and another person who lives alone can form a bubble together and support one another, on the basis that they agree not to have contact with anyone beyond.

This isn’t an extreme version of what you should be doing.

What if I can find a way to qualify as an “essential worker”? Does that mean I get to catch up with friends?

No. John Ombler, who is overseeing the Covid-19 operationally, put it plainly: “The goal of the lockdown is to limit the spread of the virus and if you’re looking for exceptions to the rule, you’ve missed the point of it and means other New Zealanders would die.”

Can I go outside?

Yes. You’re allowed go to the supermarket, pharmacies and doctors (phone ahead!). You are also allowed to go outside for some fresh air or exercise, but the two metre rule remains the same. You should not be interacting with anybody outside your self-isolation unit.

You can drive locally, if you are going to essential services. The key is that there must be no face-to-face congregation in public spaces. Once more, you should not be interacting with anybody outside your self-isolation unit.

My family member is due to arrive home on a flight after the lockdown has begun. What do they do?

They must self-isolate for 14 days in the city in which they arrive, with the rules that have been in place for the past while.

What if I am an essential worker and I need childcare?

Iona Holsted, secretary for education, clarified today that some parents who are essential workers will need to find a childcare. Their carer then becomes a “trusted buddy” who is identified as part of that particular self-isolated group. “It is critical that that buddy cannot then have other contacts other than your own household. You all become one group … the smaller the better.”

I have shared custody of kids. Can they move between homes?

The guidance is that they can if you live in the same community as the other household, but not if we’re talking separate cities. If you have kids going from one household to another, however, both homes become part of the same bubble. Or to switch metaphors, the only two links in the chain. 

Will I still continue to receive mail?

Yes. NZ Post is an essential service, and will continue to deliver. Post shops may be closed, so if you use those to pay your bills, you will need to find other arrangements.

Will I still be able to shop online? 

It depends entirely on the business. Some overseas-based digital storefronts for buying movies, games and ebooks, for example, will remain open, though deliveries may be delayed. Most NZ shopping portals for non-essential items will be closed for the duration of the lockdown.

Online supermarket shopping will continue but people are encouraged not to gobble up the delivery slots, so that people who really need those deliveries can get them.

Will my rubbish and recycling be collected?

Rubbish, yes. Recycling, usually, but check online. Some authorities may suspend recycling collections.

How will this be enforced?

Compliance with the lockdown will be enforced by the police and the New Zealand Defence Force.

Police commissioner Mike Bush said New Zealanders could expect to see a strong police presence, and likely also some military presence. These authorities have the power to enforce the lockdown if they see people flouting the rules, for example, by congregating in public.

Bush stressed that this is about education and encouragement. “We don’t want to get into a place where we have to enforce these decisions, but we will if required.”

When will it end?

More Reading

    Four weeks is the minimum. It will be reviewed as we approach that date. Keep in mind that, despite the lockdown, the Covid-19 numbers will get worse before they get better. 

    What would make it get extended?

    A lack of success in stamping out Covid-19. As prime minister Jacinda Ardern put it: “If you hang out with that friend at a park or see that family member for lunch, you risk spreading Covid-19 and extending everyone’s time in level 4.”

    Keep going!
    Photo: Getty
    Photo: Getty

    SocietyMarch 24, 2020

    Where do domestic violence victims go during the Covid-19 lockdown? 

    Senior writer
    Photo: Getty
    Photo: Getty

    As Covid-19 forces New Zealand into lockdown, domestic violence crisis services are preparing for a rise in people needing support. Alex Casey reports. 

    Domestic violence agencies around the country are scrambling to increase and diversify their crisis services and refuge accommodation as New Zealand prepares to escalate to alert level four on Wednesday night. That level of social isolation, which will see the majority of the country enter a full lockdown aside from essential services, has already proven to increase rates of domestic violence internationally. 

    “We’ve seen in China that family violence skyrocketed in the provinces hardest hit by Covid-19,” says Holly Carrington, policy advisor for domestic abuse charity Shine. “Based on that, we are expecting an increase in physical violence here.” Reports from the US suggest that Covid-19 has already had an impact on the way people are experiencing domestic violence, and last week the Canadian government announced an extra $50 million for domestic violence and sexual assault services.

    Natalie Thorburn, policy advisor for Women’s Refuge, says the organisation is anticipating a “creeping risk” over the coming weeks. “We know from things like natural disasters that there’s a ripple effect on the wider community, and the impacts don’t necessarily show up straight away,” she says. “It takes time for that tension-building phase to become physical aggression, so there will be a delay and the numbers might not change immediately.” 

    Photo: Getty Images

    Factors that can exacerbate these numbers include added financial pressures that come from loss of income, the sudden close confinement of families and a narrowing of broader community contact. “It’s important to note that perpetrators don’t just perpetrate violence because of these stresses alone,” says Thorburn. “It’s very much an existing pattern of power and control that has more of an opportunity to manifest in isolation.” 

    But as the country enters lockdown, the reduction in social contact may result in violence escalating in pre-existing cases. “If you instantly remove other people from the equation, that’s a key social factor which tends to moderate violence a bit,” says Carrington. “It can very quickly get a lot more dangerous because the vulnerable person has nowhere else to go and no time in the day to escape to their work or office.”

    “Frankly, we’re worried about the severe physical violence that nobody will have eyes on, because women won’t be interacting with enough people for them to intervene or even notice.”

    Both Shine and Women’s Refuge wish to stress that domestic violence isn’t always physical. “It can be a constant undercurrent of insults, put-downs, and being prohibited from making decisions,” says Thorburn. “In a context of self-isolation, these methods of control could draw upon digital and economic means, including monitoring of the victim’s phone or social media, or restricting what the victim can buy, including food and sanitation essentials.”

    Grocery shopping can be used as a form of control. Photo: Getty Images

    People experiencing domestic violence in the lockdown period can be assured that crisis services will be available. Both Women’s Refuge and Shine have joined a working group to put in place extra support, which may include motel accommodation and increased remote services. “It will depend on what resourcing is possible,” says Thorburn, “but it’s clear that we need several different pathway options for people not feeling safe enough to stay home.” 

    If you are worried about someone in your community who might be vulnerable, Thorburn says it is extremely important not to ignore those concerns. “On a really individual level, most people will know someone who is a victim of domestic violence. You might not necessarily use that word, but everybody knows somebody who is in a relationship where there is power and control and they might feel concerned about that person being locked up with them.” 

    While it is important to make a plan, being mindful of the close proximity that comes with social isolation is vital. “Avoid raising concerns by text or social media messaging unless you’re certain the abusive person does not have access to their phone or other devices,” says Thorburn. “Having a ‘safe word’ that someone can message to you is one way of having a contingency plan that you can be part of if the abuse gets worse for them.” 

    “Be sure to check in weekly – or daily if you can – to make sure that you can detect any changes, call 0800 REFUGE if you are concerned about somebody, or call the police if you feel like they are in immediate physical danger.” 

    Women’s Refuge also offers a discrete shielded support site that can be accessed at the bottom of several websites including The Warehouse, Countdown, and below this article. The website will not appear in your browser history, and contains information about how to get help, get out of a situation or make a plan to leave. If you run a website and wish to offer the service to your own audience, you can add the plugin by clicking here. 

    If you want to offer your support to these services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local agency or make a donation online. “Your donations are more important than ever as people find themselves restricted with even less access to their communities and income,” says Thorburn. “They can’t necessarily get all those supplies like the rest of us can, so it is a really good time for people to step up and support those vulnerable communities.” 

    “We really need to be looking out for each other in these times, and keeping those lines of communication as open as we can. Think of all the ways that your neighbour might need your support – that’s what we all need to be thinking about right now.”

    Society