Nelson Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 25 March 2020
We’re in lockdown ‘I trust the systems we have in place’ Charles Anderson From 11.59pm this evening, Nelson will be closed for business. “It’s going to be really tough for the community,” Mayor Rachel Reese told the Nelson Weekly. “But I really want to reinforce that it is essential that people follow the guidance they have been given.” New Zealand will be in alert level 4 – meaning schools and non-essential services across New Zealand will be closed for at least the next four weeks after the Government put the country in nationwide lockdown to try to stop the spread of Covid-19. “We have been tested before with emergencies and this is bigger than we have ever faced,” says Rachel. “But I really trust the systems we have in place.” She says that, behind the scenes, staff across sectors have been working for more than a month in preparation for this new reality. “It’s a shocking situation if you are not expecting it. But there is a real sense of a community and that is a strength for us.” There are now five known cases of Covid-19 in the Nelson region. In Nelson, a man and woman, both in their 70s and related to each other were confirmed to have the virus. A woman in her 50s in Nelson was also confirmed and her case was linked to another. The 51st case was a 20-yearold woman who was in self-isolation at home after returning to Nelson on flight 5065 from Auckland on March 16. She went into isolation immediately upon her return.
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