Household bubbles will be able to grow at level 3, but shouldn’t burst

Household bubbles will be able to expand when NZ moves to Alert Level 3 but keep it exclusive and keep it small.

New Zealand is currently at Alert Level 4 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 until further notice.

Western Waikato Emergency Operations Centre Duty Controller, Andrew Loe, said people should check what rules are in place for expanding household bubbles before level 3 is announced.

“You need to know exactly who is in your bubble, so contact-tracing can be done if there is an outbreak that affects you,” said Loe.

“This isn’t a decision to be made lightly as the risk increases the more our household bubbles expand.”

Maintaining household bubbles has been a key factor in the success of helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 and should only be considered under strict circumstances.

At alert level 3, bubbles must stay within their immediate household bubble, but can expand this to reconnect with close family / whanau, or bring in caregivers, or support isolated people.

“We can’t let our bubbles burst by expanding them too much. They need to stay exclusive and stay small.”

“We also need to keep up hygiene practices to help keep us safe and well,” Loe added.

At every alert level people are advised to:

• regularly disinfect surfaces
• wash and dry your hands thoroughly and regularly
• not touch your face
• stay home if you are sick
• get tested for COVID-19 if you have flu like symptoms – call your GP or Healthline
• continue to seek primary medical care.

The decision about what date New Zealand will move out of Alert Level 4 will be announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 20 April 2020.

The full breakdown of all alert level rules is available at covid19.govt.nz.

Stay kind, be considerate

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