Covid Watch

Business is doing it tough; and they’re telling Government loud and clear there is a need for employers to receive a weekly support package to cover recurring costs to get through another two weeks of lockdown. 
The Auckland Business Chamber has an online petition calling on Government to provide an employer subsidy, rather than a one off resurgence payment which did not go anywhere near far enough. 
There's been a great response with over 15,000 signing the petition so far.  
Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett joined Kerre McIvor. 
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An epidemiologist is calling on the Government to aim to get 90 percent of our population vaccinated. 
Auckland University epidemiologist Rod Jackson told Mike Hosking we need to find a way to deal with vaccine hesitancy first. 
"We need to find innovative ways to get them over the line, maybe it's going to be incentivising them, maybe it's a race to beat the Cook Islands." 
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Those on one side of a Waikato road will wake up tomorrow in level three, but the other will still be in level four. 
Everywhere south of Auckland will move to level three at midnight but the boundary cuts across Koheroa Road at Mercer. 
Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson told Kate Hawkesby he's spoken to the Prime Minister's office about it but they're sticking with their decision. 
"The stupidity in having a boundary down the middle of the road, I can't defend that position, it's just crazy." 
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The signs are positive -- but it's too early to say if we've reached the peak, in the current outbreak of Covid-19. 
Only 53 new cases were reported yesterday, 30 fewer than the day before. 
Most of the country shifts to Level Three at midnight and Northland is likely to follow on Thursday night, but Auckland will face at least another two weeks under Level Four restrictions. 
Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking Auckland's situation appears to be improving, but it's too early to know for sure.  
"We are seeing far fewer cases coming through now who were active in the community, faster linkages when new cases are identified." 
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Politicians are back in the House today, but their meeting will resemble more of a coffee group than a Parliament. 
Just nine MPs will be there - five Labour, three National and one from Act. 
The Greens are accusing National and ACT of putting the country at risk after the opposition parties refused to agree to a virtual sitting of Parliament. 
Co-Leader James Shaw told Mike Hosking it's lives they are putting at risk. 
"You've got to remember, it's not just about having a dozen people in the chamber, it's the fact that those people each have bubbles; they'll be passing through various points of connection." 
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Farmers and vegetable growers south of Auckland are getting ready for the level 3 border to come into effect from midnight tonight.
The boundary south of Auckland is the same one used in February this year and sits right in the middle of some vegetable growing operations and farms.
People cannot travel across the boundary - unless they are an essential worker and their employer has successfully applied and received an exemption, and associated QR code, from The Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment.
Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Nadine Tunley said the border being further south than Pukekohe meant fewer workers would need to cross it on a daily basis.
"The government has been really good and worked with us to get the best possible outcomes - the fact that its the same border as the last lockdown is a huge relief for us as the previous border created a few challenges.
"The reason the border is down that far is because there are a number of workers that come up from the upper Waikato Region and they would need to cross the border quite a bit if it was further north - so this reduces the number of movements over the border."
Tunley said HortNZ was providing up-to-date information to affected growers in the area and had called around yesterday to see how applications for border exemptions were going.
"We've been reassured that freight will not be an issue, for us it's all about making sure we can get healthy, fresh vegetables out to everybody because we know there's been a few empty shelves because consumption has increased considerably."
Waikato Federated Farmers president Jacqui Hahn said they were also contacting farmers in the area to make sure they knew the rules around the border.
"There's a bit more you need to do this time around to get an exemption to cross the border, it has to be essential so in our sector, for food production or animal welfare reasons.
"For example if your vet is on the other side of the border you may not be able to use them during this time if there's a vet that can provide the service on the same side of you."
She said Federated Farmers had sent out an advisor to farmers with advice.
By Sally Murphy of RNZ

Despite most of the country moving into Level 3 tomorrow, there is a worry that many businesses will be disrupted by the supply chain in Auckland and globally not being able to get supplies. 
Julien Leys is the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Building Industry Federation and he joined Kerre McIvor. 
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A lot of talk around mental health at the moment, and rightly so. 
This lockdown feels tougher, and we’re right to feel deflated by it, our lockdowns are stricter than Australia’s. In Melbourne you can still meet up for coffee with people outside your bubble, exercise with someone outside of your bubble, go out for takeaways, coffees, flowers.  
My girlfriend in Sydney says basically most businesses are considered essential and are therefore open, the same mixing of bubbles applies, and there’s more movement. That’s arguably why it’s spreading faster, but it pays to remember their lockdown is not our lockdown, so we are rightly feeling the pinch of our super strict Level 4 rules. 
Some say the mental health shadow pandemic will be bigger than the Covid one. 
In Australia it already is. There are 342 young people a week in Victoria being admitted to hospital for mental health issues, 40 kids a day in New South Wales. It’s tough.  
Anxiety levels are through the roof, isolation is triggering all sorts of feelings, as is loss of income and fear. Add to that increased alcohol or drug use, more sedentary behaviour, lack of socialisation and you have the recipe for a plethora of mental health issues. 
For parents at this time, it’s super stressful too because on top of all your own worries, you’re worried about your kids as well. 
So how do we keep our mental health in good shape during this uncertain time? Funnily enough, the answers to good mental health often lie in good physical health.  
Experts say good nutrition, getting good amounts of exercise, sunshine and Vitamin D are all key. Limiting alcohol consumption is another good idea – easier said than done for many at this time I know, but also, staying active. 
Knowing all this stuff often doesn’t make it any easier to do it, especially when we’re stressed or anxious, but it’s good to know that we can build resilience even when we don’t feel like it.  
Stress can change our appetite, energy levels, sleep patterns and concentration abilities, but we can do little things too. Like take breaks from all the news coverage, take breaks from social media, take deep breaths or pick up a meditation app.  
We can still connect with others through Facetime or on the phone, just as we try to boost our physical immune systems, we have to also try to boost our psychological immune systems. 
Focussing on positives is hard when the world feels upside down, and for many, the struggles are phenomenally difficult right now.  
I liken this lockdown to being at home those first few weeks with a newborn.  
Walking around sleep deprived and exhausted not knowing what day it is, binge eating, regarding showering and washing your hair as an accomplishment.  
But as author Glennon Doyle famously says, we just have to remind ourselves, “we can do hard things”.

If ever Andrew Little had justification for up ending our mad health system, the vaccine rollout is it. 
We tend to look at the roll out on a national basis but it is anything of the sort. 
We are currently at about 25 percent vaccinated nationally. 
But the worst number is Taranki, at just over 15 percent and the best number is Nelson Marlborough at 30 percent, or twice the success rate. 
There are a bunch of DHBs either side of the national average that you can't really be critical of, they are within a margin. 
But once again, what we are seeing here is Postcode Health Care. 
Your ability to protect yourself is based solely on where you live. 
How insane a model is that? 
The new health system will be a one-stop, Wellington-knows-best concept and given the PPE problems last year, the flu vaccine problems, the testing kits problems, the contact tracing problems, all the MIQ problems, all the procurement problems around the vaccine. 
I’m not sure what's worse, a centralised dictatorial top-down mess run by clipboarders or at least a slightly competitive model in which you can see who is good and who isn’t. 
The problem, as the stats show, it’s only good news if you're in Nelson Marlborough, Taranaki is a joke. 
But the West Coast is doing well, South Canterbury is looking good the Lakes DHB on top of the game, as much as they can be given head office, and the Wairarapa at 31 .4 percent all well above or ahead of the national average. 
Could you argue population has a part to play? Some of those latter DHBs serve small populations.  
Yes, you could, I suppose, but Auckland is above the average. 
And Taranaki is below it, so population is clearly only an excuse if you're looking for one. 
So nationally, not only have we been let down appallingly by a stroll out that was driven by smugness and arrogance but it is turning now into an economy-ravaging race against time. 
Day 13 of level four, we’re enjoying the level of service are we?

Two weeks is a long time when it comes to Covid. 
There are 562 community cases in the current Delta outbreak -- with just 53 new cases reported yesterday. 
That's 30 fewer than the day before. 
Most of the country comes out of Level Four at midnight and Northland is likely to follow on Thursday night, while Auckland faces another two weeks under Level Four restrictions. 
Otago University infectious diseases physician Kurt Krause says told Kate Hawkesby while yesterday's drop in case numbers is encouraging, only time will tell whether we have the outbreak under control. 
"There's new variants brewing around the world, different things are happening. It really has been hard to settle down and be confident about what's going to happen from one week to the next." 
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