Coronavirus: Jacinda Ardern shifts to ‘safer normal’

The New Zealand Prime Minister says pubs, restaurants, schools and shops can open by the end of next week.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Picture: Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister ­Jacinda Ardern has outlined a three-stage move to a “safer normal” with pubs, restaurants, schools and shops all open by the end of next week.

Ms Ardern said the move had shown the government’s plan to “go hard, go early” and get the economy moving again faster had been a success.

The timetable to shift from level three to level two restrictions starting on Thursday was delivered ahead of this week’s pre-­election budget that will count the cost of a six-week nationwide COVID-19 shutdown.

Under new rules, New Zealand residents will be expected to maintain social-distancing measures but they will be free to travel around the nation. Air New Zealand is reintroducing flights to ­regional centres cut off under level four and three restrictions.

Ms Ardern has described level two as “a safer normal designed to get as many people back to work as possible and the economy back up and running in a safe way”.

All guests at cafes, bars or restaurants will need to be seated and separated, with no more than 100 guests in each venue.

Venues that break the rules will be shut down.

Ms Ardern said the existing level three restrictions would be lifted in three stages.

“Thursday this week, retail, malls, cafes, cinemas, restaurants and other public spaces including playgrounds and gyms can reopen,” Ms Ardern said.

“All will be required to have physical distancing and strict hygiene measures in place,” she said.

On Monday, schools and early childhood centres will reopen.

Bars will be open from May 21, subject to physical-distancing measures.

The Ardern government has been criticised by business and the opposition for being too heavy-handed with level four restrictions that went much further than Australia’s response, but she said tough early action had allowed New Zealand to shorten the time of the lockdown.

“In 10 days’ time, we would have reopened most businesses in New Zealand sooner than many other countries around the world,” Ms Ardern said. “That fits with our plan — our plan was go hard, go early so we can get our economy going again sooner.”

The government has been embroiled in scandal after the leaking of a memo instructing ministers not to answer questions from journalists about COVID-19.

The issue was sparked by the release of cabinet documents late on Friday that detailed how the government had handled the COVID-19 response.

A memo from the Prime Minister’s office told ministers not to give interviews about the papers.

“There’s no real need to defend. Because the public have confidence in what has been achieved and what the Govt is doing,” the memo said.

“Instead we can dismiss.”

The email was interpreted domestically as political arrogance.