Kāpiti residents are being urged to stay put this Easter

Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan is urging Kāpiti residents not to be complacent in the fight against COVID-19 and to stay home and save lives this Easter.

"For the most part Kāpiti residents are doing a great job of staying in their bubbles but we have more work to do to help break the chain of community transmission and keep our community safe.

"With Easter weekend coming up it is vitally important that we all continue to stick to the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 rules and stay at home with the same people that have been in our bubbles since 11.59pm on March 25.

"This isn't the time to start making exceptions.

"As much as we'd all like to get out and about and enjoy the long weekend we need to stick to the rules.

The Prime Minister has a special idea for children to do this Easter. Photo / 123rf

"This means staying home, not venturing beyond our immediate neighbourhood to grab a breath of fresh air or to undertake recreational activity, continuing to connect with whanau, friends and neighbours by phone or online, and showing patience and kindness to those that are continuing to leave their families day in and day out to provide essential services."

But this doesn't mean you can't have a good time with your family or those in your bubble over Easter.

Yesterday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that the Easter Bunny was in fact an essential service and will be on duty this Easter.

She said the Easter Bunny is exempt and is allowed to break the bubble to visit Kiwi households.

However, there is a chance the bunny might not be able to visit everyone.

"As you can imagine at this time they're going to be potentially quite busy at home with their own bunnies and so I say to the children of New Zealand: If the Easter Bunny doesn't make it to your household, we have to understand it's a bit difficult at the moment for the bunny to get everywhere."

"Maybe in lieu of the bunny being able to make it to your home, you can create your own Easter hunt for all the children in your neighbourhood.

"Maybe draw an Easter egg and pop it on your front window and help the children in your neighbourhood with their own Easter egg hunt because the Easter Bunny might not make it everywhere this year."

Mr Gurunathan said, "If you're heading to the supermarket to get essential supplies, go with a list so you can shop fast. And remember to keep two meters away from others and wash your hands when you get home.

"Supermarkets and other essential businesses will be closed on Good Friday but most will be open on Easter Sunday so there's no need to panic buy.

"We don't know how long we're going to be in Alert Level 4 but what we do know is that if we break the rules now we are likely to be living in our bubbles for a lot longer. So let's continue to do our job well and stay home and save lives."

For up-to-date information about council's response to Coivd-19 and how this impacts their services and facilities visit www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/covid19