Stay home and stay in your bubble

The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday issued new advice and guidelines on what people can and can’t do during lockdown.

Western Waikato Emergency Operating Centre Controller Andrew Loe says the health notice has come at a crucial time and serves as a strict reminder for people to stay home and stay in your bubble.

“We are still receiving many reports from throughout the region of people flouting the rules. Not only does this increase the risk of transmission, it also puts an added strain on resources and essential services,” he says.

“We need people to be considerate. There are a lot of people who are abiding by the guidelines and it's placing unnecessary stress and worry on them to see others disregarding the guidelines to suit themselves”.

The new lockdown rules are:

• Everyone must be isolated or quarantined at their current place of residence. You cannot travel to second homes, holiday homes or baches
• Recreation and exercise does not include swimming, water based activities (surfing, boating, fishing), hunting, tramping or other activities that expose
• Exercise is to be done in an outdoor place that can be readily accessed from home, and 2m physical distancing must be maintained
• A child can leave the residence of one joint caregiver to visit or stay at another joint caregiver residence if there is a shared bubble arrangement.
• A person can leave their residence to visit or stay at another residence under a shared bubble arrangement if: one person lives alone in one, or both of those residences; or everyone in one of those residences is a vulnerable person.

Mr Loe says it’s imperative people understand the importance of staying at home.

“The steady rate of increasing positive cases nationally can be distressing for all New Zealanders, and we understand that people in our community may be concerned about local Covid-19 cases in the Western Waikato area.

“We all have a part to play in breaking the transmission of this virus. Staying home is the best way we can all help stop the spread of Covid-19. Staying home will save lives.”