Otago Civil Defence and Emergency Management has a message of thanks for Otago residents following the Easter weekend.

Group controller Richard Saunders said there were very few reports of people trying to travel unnecessarily over the Easter weekend.

“It has been heartening to see Otago residents really understand the importance of staying home and protecting themselves, their family and the wider community,” Richard said.

Acting district commander Darryl Sweeney said the police were also pleased with the compliance and will continue to monitor the Southern region.

Richard also had a message of gratitude for essential workers for whom the Easter weekend was business as usual.

“The efforts of our essential workers have not gone unnoticed. Health care workers, laboratory staff, supermarkets, the transport sector, and emergency service personnel have all continued to serve and care for us over Easter, many sacrificing time with their own families. I’d like to thank them on behalf of Otago,” he said.

As New Zealand continues week three of lockdown, Richard cautioned the public against becoming complacent.

“It has been encouraging to see fewer new cases of COVID-19 in the Southern DHB over the past few days, especially since we have had the highest number of cases in the country to date,” he said.

However, he warned the country was still at alert level four and “we haven’t won yet”.

“We don’t yet know when we will move into level three and we don’t want to go backwards. We must continue to stick within our own bubbles and stay united in our fight against COVID-19.”

PHOTO: Flickr