Another 89 new cases were reported by the New Zealand director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield today (Sunday April 5) taking New Zealand’s combined total of confirmed and probable cases over the 1000 mark to 1039.

Of the new COVID-19 cases 48 are confirmed and 41 are probable.

The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 has increased to 156 and the number of cases requiring hospitalisation has also increased to 15 patients, three of whom are in intensive care, and two of whom are classified as in critical condition.  

There are now 12 clusters confirmed around the country with two new clusters identified, one in Canterbury and a second in Auckland.

The total number of COVID-19 tests undertaken to date is over 36,200, Ashley said, and the ethnic breakdown of confirmed cases is 74 per cent European; 8.3 per cent Asian; 7.6 per cent Maori and 3.3 per cent Pasifika.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand’s cases have been relatively steady. “We haven’t seen the exponential growth that others have, the kind that leads ultimately to an overwhelmed health system.”

“We can be sure that what we have done as a country since the beginning of COVID-19 is making a difference,” she said. “Our case rate and death toll is well below other comparable countries.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

She said the early introduction of alert level four has ensured the virus “wouldn’t get a stranglehold here. Going hard and going early appears to be paying off for us.”

According to data gathered, New Zealanders were being “impressively” compliant with the restrictions imposed by alert level four. The movement of people in areas of retail and recreation had dropped by 91 per cent, she said.

“Even visits to the supermarket and pharmacy, which remain essential services and open, have dropped by half,” Jacinda said. Going to parks is down by nearly 80 per cent.

New Zealand’s borders were closed 25 days after the country’s first case was confirmed well ahead of many other nations as was the announcement of the government’s first economic package.

“The lockdown is the best way to stop the virus and is also the best thing for our economy by making the pain as short as possible,” Jacinda said. 

The police will continue to encourage compliance with the lockdown, running hundreds of prevention patrols and reassurance checks at supermarkets, service stations and pharmacies.

The PM said despite the police presence there were still some who failed to comply, including a 38-year-old man who was arrested in Christchurch yesterday for deliberately coughing at people in a supermarket. She referred to him as “an idiot”.

“The more people who comply the more likely it is that we will be able to come out [of alert level four] at the time we have said,” she said.

PHOTOS: RNZ