We may be amongst a small number of countries where that may be able to happen where the
numbers we have lost our small, but we cannot forget that every numbers someone's father,
someone's a relative or a friend, and someone that we have all been united in an effort
to protect and to save. That is why we as a country took on the challenge of steering
down COVID-19 because we believe that decisive action going hard and going early gave us
the very best chance of stamping out the virus. And it has. We have done what very few countries
have been able to do. We have stopped a wave of devastation. Our transmission rate, that
is the number of cases that each person with the virus passes it on to, is now 0.48. Less
than half a person each. Oversees the average is 2.5 people. We have amongst the lowest
number of confirmed cases per 100,000 people, in the world. We have a relatively low proportion
of serious cases, and according to the Oxford University, coronavirus government response
Tracker, one of the lowest mortality rates in the world. Nearly every case identified
since April 1 is primarily as a result of overseas travel or contact with someone with
the virus, and often in existing clusters. The number of individual cases we don't have
an obvious connection in that period now stands at only eight. Our testing has scaled up,
and we have now tested over 85,000 New Zealanders, one of the highest testing rates per capita
in the world. Over the last few days we expanded testing to include random testing for Queenstown,
the Waikato, Canterbury and Auckland. We have tested over a thousand people this way and
so far have produced not a single positive result. The director-general of health is
confident, there is currently no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand.
In short, the effort of our team of 5 million has broken the chain of transmission and taken
a quantum leap forward in our goal to eliminate the virus. Elimination doesn't mean zero cases.
It means zero tolerance for cases. It means when a case emerges, and it will, we test, we
contact trace, we isolate and we do that every single time. With the ambition that when we
see Covid-19 we eliminate it. That is how we will keep our transmission rate under one,
and it is how we will keep succeeding. And we have seen success, you, all of you have
stopped the uncontrolled explosion of Covid-19 in New Zealand and I couldn't feel prouder of
the start that we have made together. But I also feel a huge responsibility to make
sure we do not lose any of the gains that we have made either stop on that basis, New
Zealand will move out of the level four lockdown at 11:59pm on Monday, April 27, one week from
today. We will then hold at alert level three, for two weeks, before reviewing how we are
tracking again. And making further decisions on 11 May. In making this decision, Cabinet
discussed in depth all of the data we have shared with all of you daily, we looked at
the gains we have made in our results, but also our systems. We consider the longer we
are in lockdown the less likely it is we will need to go back. We also considered moving
alert levels on the 23 April which is in 48 hours. The sacrifice made to date has been huge,
and Cabinet wanted to make sure we lock in our gains and give ourselves some additional
certainty. Waiting to move alert levels next week costs us just two more business days
but gives us much greater long-term health and economic returns down the track. It means
we are less likely to have to go backwards. Ultimately we have taken a balanced approach.
And one the director-general of health not only supported but also recommended. This
time we now have will be used to prepare on all fronts. This week businesses will be allowed
to get ready to open. Such as employers re-entering premises to receive stock if necessary, but
we ask that in doing so they stick to social distance in their bubbles. This
is not an early move out of alerts but a matter of preparation. Same principle applies for
preparing schools in the education system. Schools and early learning centres can be
accessed this week for cleaning, maintenance and any other preparations. The current plan
is for schools to be able to reopen for a teacher only day on 28 April as part of their
preparation. We expect those who need to attend to be able to from 29 April. I do want to
caution, it may take a little longer for some schools and early learning centres to be ready.
And the Minister of Education will continue to work alongside the education sector in
those preparations. From a health perspective, this week testing will continue, including
giving public confidence we are reaching isolated, rural, Pacific, and Maori communities. Contact
tracing will be bolstered even further and we will continue to use the best evidence
advice and modelling we have to make daily decisions to serve New Zealanders. The most
important thing to remember in the meantime, all of this preparation takes us to an alert
level, in one weeks time, a recovery room of sorts that has many restrictions. Yes,
alert level three allows more economic activity, like construction, manufacturing and forestry.
But it does not allow more social interaction and for good reason. If we want to make sure
we are a health success story and make sure our economy can start to operate again without
the virus taking off, we need to get the next phase right, the worst thing we can do for
our country is to yo-yo between levels with all of the uncertainty that this will bring.
We need to move with confidence and that does mean following the rules. So, here is a reminder
of the principles for level three when we get there. One, stay home. If you are not
at work, school, exercising or getting essentials, you must be at home, the same as alert level
four. Two, work and learn from home if you can. We still want the vast majority of people
working from home and children and young people learning from home. At-risk students and
staff should also stay-at-home and they will be supported to do so. Early learning centres
and schools will physically be open for up to year 10 families that need them. Three,
make your business Covid-19 safe. Covid-19 has spread in workplaces so the quid pro quo
of being able to open is doing it in a way that does not spread the virus, important
industries like construction, manufacturing, forestry will be open, as will retail, as long
as it is contactless. Four, stay regional. You can exercise at parks or beaches within
your region but closer to home the better, activities must be safe, keep 2m away from
anybody not in your bubble and make minimal trips. Five, Keep your bubble as small as possible.
If you need to at level three you can expand your bubble a small amount to bring close
family, isolated people or caregivers. Six, Wash your hands often with soap then dry them,
cough and sneeze into your elbow. Seven, and this is a very important one, if you are sick,
stay at home, get advice from the GP or health line about getting a test, and quickly, I
cannot emphasise this enough, all of our success with contract tracing and isolation relies
on knowing as soon as we can, when you are unwell. There is no stigma to Covid-19. We
will only be successful if everyone is willing to play their part in finding it where ever
it is. These rules will be so important. We all want to continue to progress down the
levels, the best hope of getting back to normal as soon as possible as never getting ahead
of where we are right now. So, to recap anyone tuning in, we are currently in lockdown,
we are staying there for the next week. From Tuesday morning 28 April we will move to level
three and stay there for two weeks. Those two weeks gives us another cycle of transmission
to assess how we are doing. From there we will move, if we can and if we are ready,
but only when we are ready and only when it is safe. So this weekend, Anzac weekend, enjoy
the company of your bubble, stay local, reflect on the amazing sacrifices of our forebears,
decades ago they came together in the most testing of circumstances, half a world away
and helped forge who we are today. It was a very, very different battle than the one
we are in now but the character of who we are as a country remains exactly the same, so,
please, stay strong, stay home, be kind, and let's finish what we started.