“The change in Alert Levels is a relief for New Zealanders but we need to get smarter about how we deal with Covid-19,”
says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“One small outbreak led to 57 days of restrictions on Aucklanders lives, and the rest of New Zealand also being
punished.
“I really feel business owners who through no fault of their own have lost thousands of dollars in revenue because the
Government didn’t act smart or fast enough.
“Aucklanders will be asking why they can’t move to Level 2 at midnight tonight. To that question, Jacinda Ardern and
Ashley Bloomfield gave three different answers.
“One, Auckland needs more time at Level 2.5. Two, the new orders need to be given with 48 hours’ notice. Three, the
Government needs time to draft the orders.
“If the latter is true, why couldn’t it draft the orders ahead of today’s decision? Aucklanders deserve a straight
answer from the Government.
"The Government set itself a three-day challenge, but by 7 October Aucklanders will have been under restrictions for 57
days. Clearly, the Government's contact tracing isn't gold standing.
“If it is the ‘gold standard’ I’d hate to be the country that got silver.
“We should also be asking why Dr Bloomfield, the man in charge of running the Ministry of Health, had to give up hours
of his day to travel to Auckland to fit in with the Prime Minister’s election campaigning.
“Only a Party Vote for ACT is a vote to get smarter in dealing with Covid-19:New Zealand Epidemic Response Unit: Based on Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command CentreGovernment as referee, not player: Allow alternative facilities for safe, electronically-monitored isolation, with
strict punishment for rule-breakersRisk-weighted: Treat different countries and travellers with different levels of cautionTechnology-driven: Such as the Covid Card, ëlarm, rapid tests, temperature checks and thermal camerasContinuous improvement: Constantly compare ourselves with the best and seek to strengthen our resistance.
“If we want to enhance New Zealanders’ overall wellbeing, we must get a lot smarter. A Party Vote for ACT is a vote to
tackle Covid-19 intelligently.”