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:

• fever
• coughing
• difficulty breathing.

 Difficulty breathing 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.

A state of national emergency has been declared because of the unprecedented nature of this global pandemic, and to ensure the Government has all the powers it needs to slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce its impact.

The state of national emergency declaration allows the Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management to direct and coordinate personnel, material and other resources made available, and provides access to powers that would not normally be available, but will be needed to manage the ongoing response. This is an enhancement to the current COVID-19 response arrangements.

More on the State of national emergency

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 ring 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

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

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 are concerned about prices at your local supermarket, please report these, along with a copy of your receipt 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

Using private vehicles for transport is allowed. You can travel if you’re accessing essential services or if you’re an essential worker travelling to, from or as part of your essential work. You should only travel in your car with people from your household.

Personal walks and other active travel like cycling or scootering, is fine, provided you keep a 2-metre distance from anybody outside of your household. Stick to simple outdoor exercise and avoid areas where you can get injured or lost. It’s important the emergency services remain available to support the response to COVID-19.

Remember, any unnecessary travel may spread COVID-19.

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 at www.105.police.govt.nz. Do not ring 105. Reports will be prioritised based on risk.

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

Essential services remain open at all Alert Levels. This includes supermarkets, banks, GPs, pharmacies, service stations, couriers and other important frontline service providers.

You can arrange to have your shopping delivered, or have family, friends or neighbours drop off food or groceries. You just need to ask them to leave these at the door, rather than come in. Drop-offs at the door, rather than coming in, will protect them from exposure to COVID-19.

If visiting a store in person, you must retain social distancing of 2 metres, and wash your hands before and after visiting. 

More information about shopping safely.

The best thing everyone can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to stay at home. This includes parents with shared custody arrangements, and their children. The Principal Family Court Judge has released guidance for parents with shared custody arrangements. 

Generally, whose parents live within an hour’s drive of each other can continue to go between their homes. Simple precautions should be taken to protect the health of parents and children. This includes parents from different households keeping a distance of more than 2 metres.

If parents are more than an hour’s drive away, then the children should stay in one home. Children should also stay in one home if they're feeling unwell, or if someone in their home is unwell or has been overseas in the last 14 days. This will protect the health of parents, caregivers and children.

More information is available on the Ministry of Justice website

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

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

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.

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.

You can have a tradesperson come to your house to do urgent maintenance. The work must be essential to maintaining the necessities of life, or critical to safety. This includes electricians, plumbers and builders.

Find more information on the Building Performance website

The State of National Emergency and the COVID-19 Alert Levels are two distinct and separate things. The Alert Levels specify the range of measures that we are taking against COVID-19. A State of National Emergency provides the people managing the response in an emergency, in this case COVID-19, access to powers they would not normally have, but might require now to implement and enforce these measures.

The Alert Levels can be applied without a State of National Emergency, and a State of National Emergency can be declared without Alert Levels being used.

However, the powers made available by the State of National Emergency do support and help us enforce the measures being applied at higher Alert Levels. The powers have been used a number of times so far, including to stop people doing non-essential activities and to requisition a carpark so it can be used as a community-based assessment centre.

These powers are complementary to the powers available under the Health Act.