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Contact tracing will be "critical" in the coming days as Dunedin returns to Covid-19 Alert Level 2, Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins says.
With public facilities remaining open — albeit some now in a reduced capacity — he said it was essential to practise "the fundamentals" of good hygiene, physical distancing, and contact tracing.
But it was also important to be kind to one another.
"We always knew that this was either a possibility or a probability, depending on how you feel about these sort of things — but that doesn’t make it any easier when you get that news," he said yesterday.
"Psychologically it is difficult for people to go back into that way of doing things as opposed to the more recent history of things opening up and returning more to what a normal looks like."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday said QR codes would become mandatory for businesses in a week to assist with the contact tracing effort.
Mr Hawkins said for council staff work began "about mid-way" through her Tuesday night address to the country to ensure Dunedin City Council was responding to the rapidly evolving situation and that facilities and services would continue.
By mid-afternoon yesterday a council spokesman said the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum and Lan Yuan- Dunedin Chinese Garden would remain open.
Moana Pool was open, but was available for lane swimming and aqua jogging only.
The council's freedom camping sites at Ocean View and Warrington were open.
For kerbside collection and waste, the council advised moving to Level 2 meant most services would continue.
However, at the Green Island Landfill the Rummage Store would be closed.
In some cases facilities’ hours would be affected.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said his message to residents and visitors was to abide by the Level 2 rules and stay safe. In particular, he asked "older folk" to stay home if possible.
Businesses and other organisations needed to ensure they were prepared for an extended period of restrictions.
"This may get worse, hopefully it won’t, but everyone should have their plans worked out," Mr Boult said.
The Government’s decision to reimpose restrictions was a logical step "given all the social and economic effort and pain to get what we’ve achieved to date", Mr Boult said.
He would await the decision on what happened after midnight on Friday, "but reading the tea leaves, I’ll be surprised if we go back to where we were", he said.