What you need to know

Symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to a range of other illnesses such as influenza and do not necessarily mean that you have COVID-19. Symptoms include:

• a cough
• a high temperature (at least 38°C)
• shortness of breath.
• sore throat
• sneezing and runny nose 
• temporary loss of smell.

These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have COVID-19. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.

Shortness of breath is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

If you have these symptoms please call Healthline for free on 0800 358 5453 or you can call your doctor immediately. If you're outside New Zealand call +64 9 358 5453 or your doctor. Call your doctor before visiting.

New Zealand is now at Alert Level 4.

This will save lives. You must stay home.

Level 4 measures include:

• anyone not involved in essential work needs to stay at home
• educational facilities are now closed
• businesses are closed, except for essential services like supermarkets, pharmacies and clinics, and lifeline utilities.

You must reside at the same place for the duration of the time New Zealand is at Alert Level 4. Where you stayed on the evening of Wednesday 25 March is where you must remain.

You must only be in physical contact with those you are living with.

It's likely Level 4 measures will stay in place for a number of weeks.

Remember, what you do now, will affect all of us.

Read more information at Current COVID-19 Alert Level

Self-isolation and quarantine are both used to remove people who are ill and those who may be at higher risk of being ill, from other people for a short period of time to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

The reasons you may need to be in self-isolation and quarantine may be because you are ill, or because you have specific risk factors that make you more likely to get ill. These include international travel and being a confirmed contact of someone with COVID-19.

The guidelines for people under self-isolation and quarantine are stricter than for people at Alert Level 4 - for example, they cannot leave their home to go to the grocery store. 

Alert Level 4 requires everyone in New Zealand to stay home. However, people can still leave home to access essential services and to exercise.

All of these actions together will help protect New Zealand from COVID-19. Staying home, whether it's under Alert Level 4, quarantine or self-isolation, saves lives

If you can’t access food or essential items yourself or with the help of whānau, friends, iwi, neighbours or community providers, there is urgent assistance available.

If you are not eligible for support from Work and Income and you don’t have a way to access essential supplies yourself, you can contact your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM). However, if you have immediate urgent food needs then you should call your local CDEM Group directly.

The service operates seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.

If you find yourself in this situation, please phone your local CDEM Group.

The number for your local CDEM Group is on the National Emergency Management Agency website(external link)

Supermarkets will be closed on Good Friday 10th April, giving workers a break, and shops a chance to stock up.

Some supermarkets will be open on Easter Sunday. Check with your local supermarket to find out what hours they will be operating.

Easter information

Yes, the Government has announced that whiteware and computer equipment can be sold at Level 4. This recognises the need for people to safely isolate, stay connected to one another and work or study from home.

In order to protect public safety, there are rules around how these things can be sold. For example, businesses can only take orders for essential non-food goods. Businesses must only take orders online or by phone, and keep storefronts shut. Goods must be delivered to people’s homes without making physical contact with the buyer.

It might take some time for businesses to set up their systems to comply with these rules.

More information is available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website(external link)

If you’re healthy and under 70, you should go to the supermarket instead of shopping online. This will leave home delivery slots free for the people who need them most.

Shops are doing their best to limit the number of shoppers – helping you keep 2 metres away from others.

Here are some simple tips to follow when you go to the supermarket:

• Wash your hands before and after you shop.
• Come prepared with a list so you can get in and out as quickly as possible.
• If at all possible only send one person from your household to do the whole shop. You may need to take young children with you if there is no carer available.
• Keep 2 metres away from others, including staff – they need to keep safe too!
• Only touch what you want to buy.
• Be kind to essential workers, and others you’re sharing the shop with.

More simple tips for when you go to the supermarket

High prices at supermarkets have been a concern for many New Zealanders. We want to ensure pricing remains fair during these times.

You can now raise concerns about high prices at supermarkets. If you're concerned about prices at your local supermarket, please report these, along with a copy of your receipt by email to pricewatch@mbie.govt.nz.

New Zealand is currently at Alert Level 4. This may impact the way you receive medical care if you are pregnant or have recently given birth.

During your pregnancy, face-to-face check-ups may be reduced. Your midwife will still make contact with you over the phone or by video call.

When you give birth, maternity facilities will have restrictions on the number of visitors and support people you can have with you.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, inform your midwife or midwifery practice.

Information for pregnant women and those who have recently given birth(external link)

You might be tempted to leave the house this weekend, particularly if the weather is nice. Remember, staying home is the best thing you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19. But you can leave the house to buy groceries or to get some fresh air in your neighbourhood.

If you do leave the house this weekend, here are some do’s and don’ts to remember:

• Keep a 2 metre distance from other people at all times.
• Stay local if you go out for exercise and stay close to home.
• Keep it solitary when going out, just by yourself or with the people you live with.
• If you're exercising in your neighbourhood and it's too busy, go home. Go out later.
• Help our emergency services by only doing safe activities, such as going for a walk.
• Don’t go swimming, surfing, hunting or tramping.
• Don’t touch surfaces others may have touched and avoid park benches or playgrounds.
• Don’t travel far from home, especially not to baches or second homes.
• Only shop for essential supplies.
• Wash your hands regularly.

Most of all during this time, we encourage you to continue to be kind to one another. Stay in touch with your older relatives and vulnerable people, talk to your friends, whānau and neighbours over the phone and see if they need your support.

Acts of kindness and maintaining these connections is essential while we work to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Please stay at home as much as you can. Any unnecessary travel could spread COVID-19. If you are over 70, or are immunosuppressed, you should not be leaving the house at all.

Some people will need to go outside occasionally. For example to take a short walk for exercise or mental wellbeing, or to visit local essential services like the doctor, pharmacy or supermarket.

Your local area means the area near your home that you regularly visit for essential services.

What is considered local will differ depending on where you live. City dwellers may have a supermarket or dairy close by. If you live rurally, you may need to take a drive to reach these.

If you live in an area where a walk in the neighbourhood isn’t practical, you can drive a short distance to reach an area, like a beach, where you can go for a quick walk. If the beach is busy, and you can’t stay 2 metres away from other people, go home. Do not stay at the beach and sunbathe and please do not swim.

If you do leave your house, you must always keep a 2 metre distance from other people who are not part of your isolation group. If an area is too crowded to keep to a 2 metre space between you and others, go home. Don’t stop and chat, contact people over the phone or social media instead.

If you have concerns about a gathering of people, a non-essential shop or service that is open, anyone who is not self-isolating as required, or an event that breaches the criteria, you can report it to police online. Do not call 105. Reports will be prioritised based on risk.

Report a breach online(external link)

The Government is acting to support people in New Zealand through these changes with a $16.1 billion package that includes:

• a wage subsidy scheme. Previous cap of $150,000 per business removed
• leave and self-isolation support
• business cash flow and tax measures
• mortgage repayment holiday scheme for 6 months — via retail banks
• business finance guarantee scheme.

Your usual financial support, such as benefits, will continue.

More about COVID-19 support on the Work and Income website(external link)

Essential services include food, medicine, healthcare, energy, fuel, waste-removal, internet and financial support. All of these things will continue to be available at all Alert Levels.

More information about essential businesses

If over the following days and weeks you feel you are not coping, it’s important to seek help and professional support. Your family doctor is a good starting point.

For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing, you can also call or text the 'Need to talk?' service on 1737. This service is free, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gives you the chance to talk it through with a trained counsellor.

As an essential worker you are playing a vital role in keeping New Zealand running during Alert Level 4.

You may also be wondering if you need to be using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to keep yourself safe during this time.

The Ministry of Health has put together some tips for while you’re at work and at home. These are the most effective measures to protect you and those you live with.

Read about PPE for essential workers(external link)

The most important thing for you to know is that basic hygiene measures are the best defence against COVID-19.

If you are unwell, you must not go to work, and must not return to work unless you are symptom free for 48 hours. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or your doctor if you feel unwell.

Service stations, dairies and convenience stores can operate but must have a one-in-one-out rule. They can not sell food prepared on the premises.

They can sell any pre-packaged food (eg sandwiches, muffins or pies) that has been prepared off-site by their supplier, and can heat that food on-site if required.

They can also sell food that has been prepared off-site (eg pies, sausage rolls) that has been delivered in boxes and then heated on-site and put in paper bags for the customer, with appropriate precautions such as not letting customers bag food themselves.

They must not serve any drinks that need to be prepared on-site, eg hot coffee or milkshakes.

Employees should wash their hands whenever possible before handling the food items to avoid cross-contamination from the surfaces.