Panic buying continued across the South; the deadline for domestic travel was extended as Kiwis tried to rush home; and a six-month mortgage holiday was announced for those whose incomes are affected by New Zealand’s response to the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
The nationwide lockdown to restrict transmission of the virus that has killed more than 16,000 people around the world begins today at 11.59pm.
Acting district commander Inspector Darryl Sweeney said police would increase their visibility in the community for the month-long lockdown to provide reassurance but were also working with the owners of businesses to provided added security.
Insp Sweeney said police would take action if required to ensure people behaved responsibly, including seeing people did not travel unless it was essential to do so, but he said he hoped enforcement action would not be necessary.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the Government was acting quickly to get new financial schemes in place to soften the blow on New Zealanders and businesses as the Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank announced a further $6.25billion in financial support yesterday.
‘‘These actions between the Government, banks and the Reserve Bank show how we are all uniting against Covid-19. We will get through this if we all continue to work together,’’ he said.
‘‘A six-month mortgage holiday for people whose incomes have been affected by Covid-19 will mean people won’t lose their homes as a result of the economic disruption caused by this virus.’’
The Business Finance Guarantee Scheme was designed to provide short-term credit to mitigate the financial distress for solvent small and medium-sized firms affected by the ongoing crisis.
The package will include a six-month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and small and medium-sized business customers whose incomes have been affected by the economic disruption from Covid-19.
The scheme will include a limit of $500,000 per loan and will apply to firms with a turnover of between $250,000 and $80 million per annum. The loans will be for a maximum of three years and expected to be provided by the banks at competitive, transparent rates.
The Government will carry 80% of the credit risk, the other 20% to be carried by the banks.
Among New Zealand’s 40 new Covid-19 cases revealed yesterday were two Dunedin men who were ‘‘mildly unwell’’ and isolated at home, the Southern District Health Board said in its daily update.
Contact tracing following the positive tests had begun but because both men went into isolation immediately upon arrival home from overseas, there were only a very small number of close contacts.
One Dunedin man aged in his 30s flew from Dubai to Auckland on Flight EK447 arriving on March 19, travelling on the same day from Auckland to Dunedin on Flight JQ285.
The other Dunedin man, in his 60s, flew from London to Los Angeles on March 14, and then Los Angeles to Auckland on Flight NZ5, and Auckland to Dunedin on Flight NZ671 on March 16.
The updated list from the Ministry of Health published at 4pm yesterday put the number of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand at 155, four cases are the result of community transmission, and 12 patients have recovered from the disease.
The ministry listed a Dunedin woman in her 50s among the probable cases but no travel details were offered.
There are eight confirmed cases in Dunedin, and one probable case; seven confirmed cases flew through Dunedin Airport.
While there is only one Queenstown case confirmed at present, four cases travelled through the Queenstown Airport.
Five cases are at present connected to the World Herefords Conference in Queenstown.
Of the 142 confirmed cases listed by the ministry, travel details are outstanding for 33 cases.
Travel details are only listed for two of the 13 probable cases.
A Danish woman tested positive for coronavirus in Queenstown, becoming the first case in the South Island on March 15.
At the time, there were only eight confirmed cases in the country.
A Waikato man tested positive adding yesterday to the growing list of cases linked to the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown earlier this month.
Around the South yesterday, businesses and schools closed or made preparations to close as the deadline drew near.
From yesterday only ‘‘essential’’ dental services — for uncontrolled facial swelling, uncontrollable bleeding, facial trauma, and pain that could not be managed by pain killers — was available, the SDHB said.
Healthy women without pregnancy complications and without Covid-19 exposure were encouraged to receive their maternity care out of hospital, and to talk to their midwives about giving birth at home or in a primary maternity facility.
— Additional filing by Daisy Hudson and The New Zealand Herald
