Residents urged to stay local

Last Updated : 25 Aug 2020
Newman Dalton Stay at Home

With COVID-19 already present in South Auckland, residents are being urged to stick to Alert Level 3 guidelines to stop the spread of the disease in the community.

Both Auckland Council Manurewa-Papakura representatives say the move to Alert Level 3 until 11.59pm on Sunday 30 August after a new outbreak, means everyone has a part to play.

“I am grateful to our local community groups who have immediately responded to our community in the provision of food parcels, hygiene packs and face masks,” Councillor Angela Dalton says.

“We know the virus has hit members of our much-loved community in the south, and we will once again pull together to fight COVID-19, we have beaten this before, and we will again.

“We need to stay home and only exercise in our local parks, and on our wonderful local beaches and walkways.”

All council facilities are closed and amenities such as playgrounds, park benches and fitness equipment, basketball courts, libraries, pools and leisure centres, visitor and service centres, as well as the city’s network of community venues and early childhood education centres are off-limits.

Cr Newman says even if people can’t see closed signs on equipment, COVID-19 can live on a surface for up to 72 hours, so staying off is the best way to stay safe.

“Given the strength of this virus, we need to take precautions to ensure we emerge safely out of this. Contact tracing is an essential part of that. We need to keep a record of where we have been either by using the COVID tracer app or by keeping a note of our movements.”

Backing calls by his colleagues, councillors Fa'anana Efeso Collins, Josephine Bartley and Alf Filipaina, for members of his area’s large Pasifika community to be tested, he says anyone unsure should ring their doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116

“We are home to the country's largest Pasifika population and we should do anything and everything we can to track down COVID-19 before community transmission really takes off.”

A list of affected council sites is on the OurAuckland website. Auckland Council also has activities to help you keep busy at home, and Aucklanders can still access online services such as lodging consents, registering dogs, or libraries.

Up-to-date government information is at covid19.govt.nz

Back to News