Cabinet in New Zealand to review Covid institutions next week – as it happened World News

This blog is now closed. You can read more here about Jacinda Ardern’s ruling on the closure of the coronavirus and the report on today’s earthquakes and tsunamis. Thanks for reading

America’s Cup sail will resume on Wednesday, while cricket, netball and rugby can finally offer tickets for sale on Sunday for their big events, Stuff reports.

Ardern says she felt “absolutely” the first earthquake. Her first thought was ‘Bugger it’, she says.

Kiri Allan says: “She sent me an SMS to make sure I was going to do my job. 2.29vm! ”

Minister of Emergency Management Kiri Allan is back to talk about the tsunami response. She says the call to cancel the warning was made when it became apparent that “there is no longer any danger to life”.

She has questions about the notification system, especially the text alerts for civil defense that are sent to people’s phones. It was received by thousands of people at different times, but Allan says it is not yet known if it could be improved.

‘It is strictly targeted and has been re-targeted based on the available science for those at greatest risk of losing lives. It was not a notice of all for all. ‘

She says she is generally satisfied that people knew what to do because of the overall management strategy, but that the government “wants to stress test the system over the next few days”.

Both she and premier Jacinda Ardern acknowledges that the first two of the three earthquakes were “disconnected”, one recorded on the east coast of the North Island and one near the Kermadec Islands – which required different responses.

Allan says there have been no reports of earthquakes or significant damage yet. Now that the warning has been canceled, government teams can take a closer look, she says.

Ardern says it was the right decision to lift the three-day closure in Auckland earlier in February before reintroducing level three restrictions at the end of the month.

Ardern is asked if she will apologize for Case L, a coronavirus case, which says the government did not tell her to isolate her and that Ardern’s comments about her case led to her being bullied on social media. word.

Ardern now says (as before) that she would not apologize, but that it was never her intention to create a pile.

Another exception: on Sunday, church services can only continue with less than 100 participants.

Ardern interrupts interrogation of Bloomfield on the invocation of the Health Act to say that the requirements of New Zealanders under the coronavirus response are “generally very well understood”.

She says she does not believe anyone who violated the level three restrictions did anything wrong, and that she saw no benefit in continuing a “back-and-forth” over individual cases over the past week.

Ardern adds that there have always been violations in New Zealand’s closure. “The country has generally performed exceptionally well, but we have never had a perfect experience.”

There are some exceptions to the increase in the restriction, says the director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield.

People who attended City Fitness Gym (the site of the most recent exposure event a week ago) and those who were told by local regional health teams in Auckland that they were casual, close or comfortable contact with a confirmed case.

These people are required to isolate themselves at their usual home, report and undergo medical tests at a time and place determined by a medical officer of health, and remain isolated until they receive further information.

Bloomfield explains that it is a ‘specific legal requirement’ that compels these individuals under section 70 of the Health Act.

Ardern: “We may not be in the destructive position of many of the rest of the world, but an elimination strategy can still feel like hard work. It is completely natural to feel tired. Covid is hard work for everyone. Thank you for pushing forward again. ”

Ardern says the government’s response is too cautious given the unpredictable and highly communicable nature of the British variant of coronavirus.

“Level three gave us extra security while addressing the unknown and reducing the risk.”

Auckland will go to level two on Sunday at 6 p.m. The rest of the country goes to level one at the same time.

Jacinda Ardern begins by pointing to the numbers in France and elsewhere abroad: ‘I know here in New Zealand we take nothing for granted that we take for granted, not least because so many of us know people or have people we are in love abroad. ‘

She says she accepts that New Zealand’s elimination strategy is difficult for people, from job losses to cancellations at school camps. “Covid has demanded so much in so many ways – but it will get better.”

She says she will issue a “road map” in the coming weeks showing how the vaccination will affect Aotearoa Covid’s response in the coming year.

Kiri Allan says the response of the civil defense to the threat of a tsunami was before dawn: “I want to thank everyone who did exactly the right thing.”

Jacinda Ardern: “It’s hard not to feel that our country is in bad luck if you have an earthquake, tsunami and pandemic in one day …

“We have had difficult moments in this country, but in it we have always been blessed with amazing people working in our emergency response system.”

Ardern praises the work of the Minister of Emergency Management Kiri Allan and handed to her for an update.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield will then provide an update on the Covid-19 response.