Lockdown came and went in 2020 in NZ, we went 'hard and early' on 25 March - united as a country to eliminate the virus from our shores. There was generally mass compliance and unity, helped by the daily communication about the efforts of our 'team of 5 million'. And it paid off. 8th June 2020 brought glorious news that there were no active cases of Covid-19 in the community. We had beaten it.
Or had we?
Through the remainder of 2020 and into 2021 different regions went into different levels of the Alert Level system as the odd case here and there made it's way from the border and into the community (thank you for all your efforts Auckland!). We watched from afar as talk of the
Delta variant taking hold of the globe made it's way to our corner of the world. However, in New Zealand those of us outside Auckland lived relatively free from restrictions.
August 17 2021 brought an unexpected press conference, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. This could only mean one thing; it had returned. The nation returned to Alert Level 4 (lockdown) for three weeks.
Throughout September and October a large part of the North Island remained in Alert Levels 3 or 4 and on 2 December 2021 the Alert Level system was replaced with the Covid-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights). The framework's main objectives were to keep the population safe while also introducing more freedoms and reducing the need for future country-wide lockdowns.
It's intention is to keep us as safe as possible while enabling us to continue with some sense of normality.
Traffic lights
Key components of the Covid-19 Protection Framework (CPF) are:
- Vaccination and My Vaccine Pass: As of today only 4.6% of the NZ eligible adult population is unvaccinated. Vaccination is key for New Zealand to manage the outbreak by reducing the likelihood of getting really sick (individual protection), going to hospital (protecting our Health resources) or passing COVID-19 on to others (protection of others).
- Capacity Limits: Managing spaces and places to enable physical distancing.
- Record keeping: The government-led Covid Tracer App (QR Codes) are used extensively to track positive covid cases and alert those who may have been exposed to Covid-19. As can be expected the use of the app across the population peaks at times of high case numbers, yesterday alone there were over 2.1 million scans of QR Codes across the country. It has become common practice for many of us to scan into our workplaces and anywhere else we may choose to go.
- Localised protections and lockdowns: For use as required to manage outbreaks.
So what is life like here today?
We are having our highest ever Covid-19 case numbers. The Omicron variant is beginning it's sweep though the nation; yesterday we had 1160 new community cases: most of which are in Auckland (861), followed - but not closely - by Waikato (73).
The country is in the Red traffic light setting, phase two. At Red, our actions are focussed on protecting our vulnerable communities and our health system - pretty important areas of focus in my view.
In Red we can travel, we can go out to work and study, we can go to cafes, malls and retail stores, we are not in lockdown. We wear masks - in some spaces they are mandatory to protect ourselves and others, in most spaces they are strongly encouraged. Everyone can access basic health needs such as food and healthcare. In non-essential places where there is a higher chance of contracting or spreading Covid-19 (eg cafes and restaurants) there are vaccine requirements to enter. Most hospitality outlets offer contactless takeaway for those who choose not to be vaccinated.
There are plans for a staggered border reopening so that we can welcome back whānau (family) and friends in a way that doesn't unnecessarily put the rest of the population - that has worked so hard for two years to keep ourselves and others safe - at risk.
Yes there are those that disagree with where we're at; we wouldn't be a diverse nation if there weren't.
New Zealand has had 23,509 cases of Covid to date, we have had 53 Covid-19 deaths. We are in an incredibly strong position to be able to respond to the Omicron overwhelm that is about to hit us both in terms of individual safety and the resources available in our Health system.
For that, I am truly thankful.
