The current Covid alert settings have been extended for at least another 10 days before Government decides if they can change.
That means Auckland stays at level 2.5 – with social gatherings limited to 10 people and funerals and tangihanga allowed 50 – while the rest of the country continues at level 2.
The present Covid-19 outbreak continues to keep New Zealanders on alert, and Pacific people continue to be impacted with 61% of those in the Auckland cluster Pacific.
This morning it was announced that former Cook Islands prime minister and beloved Auckland GP Dr Joe Williams had passed away due to Covid-19 – the second Covid-19 death of the Auckland August cluster and the 24th Covid-19 related death in New Zealand.
“This will be devastating news for our people,” Auckland Councillor Fa’anānā Efeso Collins told Marama T-Pole.
“This is the challenge of Covid-19, and I think people are on high alert because we know that there are major health risks that we’re all facing at the moment.”
Fa’anānā says Covid-19 has exposed the inequities that exist in New Zealand, particularly for Māori and Pasifika.
“There was a report yesterday that came out around how Māori are 50% more likely to die of Covid-19, so there are some major challenges here,” says Fa’anānā.
“We’ve still got issues like rheumatic fever, cardiovascular disease, gout and diabetes. Those need to be addressed too. Will we stop the nation for those issues as well?”
Watch the full talanoa above.
