Level 2
New Zealand’s four-tier pandemic response plan has outlined what level of precautions Kiwis need to take to stay safe and stop the spread of coronavirus. After being in Level 4 - essentially a total lockdown - for over four weeks, followed by a couple of weeks at Level 3, New Zealand began its move to Level 2 on May 14. There’s been a phase in of different activities that opened up, starting with retail on the 14th, schools on the 18th, and bars on the 21st.
According to the Level 2 rules, most places can reopen with physical distancing in place. The biggest changes are in the hospitality sector where new rules and regulations limited how many people could be in a venue and how they could be served. After the initial guidance limiting gatherings to 10, the government raised the cap on gatherings to 100. (This number, as you may know from reading the Coronavirus Update #14, was completely blown out of the water during the Black Lives Matter protest in Auckland two weekends ago.)
While the guidance put out by the government was communicated clearly and reasonable in nature, in reality, I’ve seen little evidence of anything different from life pre-covid. Yes, there are sign in sheets and some QR codes at stores and restaurants most of the time. There is next to no enforcement or even reminders to sign in though. In fact, I think I’ve been asked to sign in a total of twice during the whole of Level 2 so far. Barely anyone uses the bottles of hand sanitizer by the door of every store anymore. Yes, there are rules about having a single server per table at restaurants, but my experience during Level 2 was that it was business as usual, though at first some places chose to wear masks and wear gloves. A week in and those were gone.
There are a few things that are different. Parents still aren’t allowed on school campuses. Kids are dropped off and picked up at staggered times and at designated locations. Nightclubs aren’t open. There are sneeze guards up at the grocery store and my local coffee shop won’t fill a reusable coffee mug brought from home. But for the majority of daily things, life is more or less back to normal. Most importantly, everyone’s attitude has shifted from fear to camaraderie. There really is a feeling of being part of a “team of 5 million.”
After writing this but before posting, New Zealand’s last remaining case of active coronavirus cleared up and we’ve now gone 17 days without any new cases. Jacinda announced that we will be moving from Level 2 to Level 1 at midnight tonight, effectively removing any remaining barriers within New Zealand. The borders will remain closed to keep cases out, but New Zealand is declaring victory on Covid-19.
