Northland news in brief: Daylight saving ends; tsunami sirens sounding tomorrow

The new-look entrance at Kaitaia Hospital.

Covid testing at Kaitaia Hospital

Kaitaia is one of numerous hospitals around the country that have erected tents to assess people who might have Covid-19 and to keep potential carriers away from staff and patients. A spokesperson for the Northland DHB said the tents would provide a "red" zone for those who might have the virus and green for everyone else.

Clocks go back

Northlanders will get an extra an hour's sleep overnight when the clocks go back to mark the end of daylight saving. The clocks will go back one hour at 3am tomorrow. The clocks went forward for daylight saving on September 29, last year.

Tsunami sirens

Northland's network of more than 200 tsunami sirens will go off tomorrow as part of a national testing regime, despite the nation being in coronavirus lockdown. Tsunami are one of Northland's main natural disaster risks and more than 200 tsunami warning sirens are in coastal communities from Te Hapua in the north to Mangawhai in the south and Ruawai in the west. will be tested as usual at the end of daylight saving tomorrow. The alarms, which are tested twice a year at the start and finish of daylight saving, will sound at 10am for 10 minutes and again at 10.30am for 30 seconds, and will be monitored for any faults.

Crews monitor highways

NZ Transport Agency road crews are monitoring Northland's state highway network to ensure the safe movement of essential goods like medical supplies to hospitals and food to supermarkets during the lockdown. Waka Kotahi Northland system manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said all non-essential work had been halted, but safely maintaining the highways was vital to ensure critical functions to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus could continue. Under the level 4 lockdown, only essential maintenance is allowed. "Unless there are major weather-related events that require slip clearing and damage repairs, the primary and ongoing focus will be on the safety of the network."

Rural Connectivity Group's 4 new sites

Four more sites in Northland and brought better cell and broadband coverage to the Marua and Ohawini Bay areas in Whangārei, as well as Herekino and Oue Hilltop areas in the Far North. The Rural Connectivity Group's new sites provide access to Spark 4G mobile and wireless broadband services.