Skip to main content

"Help us fight this": New Zealand PM Ardern appeals ahead of coronavirus lockdown

WELLINGTON (ITNTV) - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appealed to New Zealanders to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, as the country prepared for a complete lockdown from Thursday to beat the spread of the virus.
FILE PHOTO: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pauses during a news conference prior to the anniversary of the mosque attacks that took place the prior year in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 13, 2020.
Cases of COVID-19 crossed the 100 mark in New Zealand this week as the government imposed self-isolation for everyone, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut for one month. The action takes effect from midnight on Wednesday.
Infections are lower in New Zealand than many other nations, but Ardern’s government wants to move fast to stop the spread. It was one of the first to force all incoming travellers into self-isolation, and to ban indoor and outdoor gatherings.
Ardern said in an interview to state broadcaster TVNZ that the lockdown gives the country of about 5 million people a good chance of beating the virus.
“Yes we can ... we have a window and we have used it,” Ardern said on TVNZ.
“But I’m asking all New Zealanders, this plan will only work if you help us. You may feel resilient and well, but it’s not just about you. It’s about everyone around you,” she said.
“If we all do this together then we can do this.”
New Zealand has 102 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, with two local transmission cases so far with the others related to overseas travel. There have been no deaths.
On Tuesday morning, New Zealanders were emptying offices in preparation for working from home, college students moved out of hostels and cafes were seen clearing stock in anticipation of the lockdown.
Domestic airports and other regional transport services were choked as people rushed to return home before the lockdown took effect. Air New Zealand ramped up its domestic flights to meet the demand.
In the capital Wellington, ferry services going from New Zealand’s North Island to the South Island were congested as people turned up without tickets to take the ferry home.
“Police in Picton are providing traffic management support at the ferry terminals in the town due to heavy congestion,” police said in a statement.
Media reports said supermarkets were still crowded as people stacked up food and other essentials despite assurances from the government that the country will be well supplied.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has also said it had enough cash to meet demand.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel to fight coronavirus

Madrid (ITNTV) The European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel as it attempts to contain the  ongoing spread of the coronavirus  on the continent. "The less travel, the more we can contain the virus," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday following a video conference between G7 leaders. She appeared confident that the European Council would sign off on the restriction in a Tuesday vote. The bloc's member states imposed aggressive measures on Monday,  days after the  World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe was at the epicenter of the pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron declared "war" on the virus during a national address on Monday, banning all social events across the country -- including family gatherings. Macron said those who have gathered in public places in recent days have not been respecting previous measures to limit the outbreak's spread in France, which as of Monday had 5,380 con...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kennedy granddaughter, great-grandson missing in Chesapeake Bay

(ITNTV) - The granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and her young son were missing on Friday after drifting out into the Chesapeake Bay on a canoe, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said. An intensive search continued for Maeve Fahey Townsend, and her son Gideon, Hogan said. Maeve Townsend is the daughter of former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated while a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1968. “I reached out to and spoke with Lieutenant Governor Townsend this morning and on behalf of the people of Maryland I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies,” Hogan said in a briefing posted online. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department, one of the agencies searching for Townsend and her son, said it had received a call on Thursday at about 4:30 p.m. local time, reporting that two people in a small canoe or kayak were drifting into Chesapeake Bay. Rescuers w...
Post a Comment
Read more

US uses encrypted app to connect with Iranians as coronavirus sweeps their country

Washington (ITNTV) The State Department is using social media to encourage Iranians to share information with the Trump administration -- both on an encrypted tip line and through an online survey -- about the  coronavirus pandemic  that is devastating the country. "This is Iran's Chernobyl," said one administration official of the outbreak, who described social media portals as a tool to bypass the Iranian regime and connect to the country's people. The US began encouraging Iranians to use the encrypted messaging app last year, when Iranian demonstrators took to the streets and US officials wanted to learn more about the regime's bloody crackdown. Now, with Covid-19 devastating Iran, the tip line has been reinvigorated, administration officials told CNN. This time, the goal is to collect information from Iranians, find ways to share that information when it is determined to be accurate and leverage the coronavirus in an effort to fortify a relationship ...
Post a Comment
Read more