Maintain physical distancing
Physical distancing
Physical distancing, sometimes known as ‘social distancing’, is about keeping a safe distance from others.
This is about physical distance. For your own mental health, you can, and should, keep in touch with friends and family via the phone, or online.
Face coverings
Even if you’re wearing a face covering, we recommend still physically distancing.
Physical distancing at Alert Level 1
COVID-19 is contained at Alert Level 1, so you do not need to maintain physical distance from others. It’s still worthwhile keeping a safe distance from people you don’t know while out and about. This will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 if it reappears in the community.
Stay safe at Alert Level 1
At Alert Level 1, we still need to play it safe. We all need to be ready in case COVID-19 comes back into the community.
To be ready at Alert Level 1:
- practise good hygiene
- stay home if you’re sick
- get tested if you have cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms
- wear face coverings on public transport and domestic flights
- keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen.
Living at Alert Level 1, including keeping your distance, and contact tracing for businesses
Physical distancing at Alert Level 2
At Alert Level 2, you can leave home and do many aspects of everyday life. You should follow public health measures and consider others around you.
We still need to be careful and socialise safely to keep COVID-19 under control.
What we can do
- Keep a 2 metre distance in public. Take extra care if you interact with people you do not know as it will make contact tracing harder. This means making the space when you’re in places like playgrounds, parks, businesses, shops, or walking along the street.
- Keep 1 metre distance in ‘controlled environments’. This is where contact tracing and other public health measures are possible. This includes places like cafes, church groups, gatherings, restaurants, and gyms.
You can socialise at Alert Level 2, but keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen. This is easier if you socialise with people you know well.
If you’re feeling sick or have cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, we recommend you stay at home and not socialise with anyone.
Hongi and harirū
We are all being asked to play our part to refrain from physical contact to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 can spread from person to person through physical contact. As well as the impact on New Zealanders generally, this will affect particular areas of tikanga Māori including kawa, as we move to protect our whānau, hapū and iwi. It will particularly affect those who are more vulnerable such as our kaumātua — our koroua and kuia.
In practice, for those who do not live together and aren’t family/whānau or close friends, this means suspending our customs of hongi and harirū, as well as kissing, hugging and other forms of close physical contact.
Alternatives include waving, smiling or other non-physical contact greetings.
Physical distancing at Alert Level 3
Outside of your home, you legally must keep a 2 metre distance from people at all times, as much as possible.
Workers legally must maintain a 1 metre physical distance in the workplace, as much as possible.
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