Alert level one to start on June 9
Businesses across the automotive industry can get back to operating as usual from June 9, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the country will be moving to Covid-19 alert level one.
Ardern says the decision aims to “get the economy fully open again”, but she reinforced the need to maintain good hand hygiene, contact tracing and says strict border controls will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
The move to level one will officially begin at midnight on June 8. It follows nearly four weeks of level two restrictions being in place and 17 days without any new cases of the coronavirus emerging.
New Zealand was previously in a lockdown from March 25 in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Ardern, pictured, announced the decision to lower the alert level on June 8 after a Cabinet meeting where ministers contemplated the latest evidence around Covid-19 and advice from Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the Director-General of Health.
Fresh support for businesses
As companies prepare for level one, an extra 40,000 businesses are now eligible for the new targeted wage subsidy scheme following an announcmenet by Finance Minister Grant Robertson on June 5.
The government is changing the threshold for the drop in revenue from 50 per cent to 40 per cent, which it says means 230,000 businesses employing more than 900,000 workers will be entitled for the eight-week scheme from June 10. Under the original threshold about 740,000 workers would have been covered.
Robertson says the change, which is predicted to take the overall cost of the scheme from $3.2 billion to $3.9b, was made after consultation with BusinessNZ and RetailNZ.
As well as relaxing the criteria for wage subsidies, the government has extended the deadline to apply for a small business cashflow loan from June 12 to July 24.
Golden rules of alert level one
• If you're sick, stay home.
• If you have cold flu symptoms call your doctor.
• Wash your hands.
• Sneeze or cough into your elbow and disinfect surfaces.
• Isolate immediately if told so by authorities.
• If you have underlying conditions, talk with your GP about precautions.
• Keep track of where you've been.
• Businesses should help.
• Stay vigilant.
• Be kind to others and to yourself.
For more details, visit covid19.govt.nz
