Northland police will be setting checkpoints to stop Aucklanders heading north for the long weekend, like they did over Easter weekend at Uretiti, above. Photo /Michael Cunningham
Northland police will be setting checkpoints to stop Aucklanders heading north for the long weekend, like they did over Easter weekend at Uretiti, above. Photo /Michael Cunningham
We're only days away from the Covid-19 alert level being downgraded and police have a message for Aucklanders who want to head north to get to their baches for the long weekend - don't.
The country is expected to drop into alert level 3 just before midnight on Monday, which will slightly ease travelling restrictions.
But people in coastal communities in Northland are concerned it may give people the false sense of security that they can head north to their baches for the long Anzac weekend, with Monday a public holiday.
Some have set up their own roadblocks, backed by police, to stop non-residents from entering during the lockdown.
However, Northland police district commander Superintendent Tony Hill warned that while the country was still at level 4 lockdown - which means no travelling other than for essential reasons - people should not be heading north to the bach or for a holiday.
Hill said police would again be out in force on the roads - just like they were before and during the Easter holiday weekend earlier this month - stopping and checking that motorists were complying with the rules.
Superintendent Tony Hill is warning people not to head to Northland for the long weekend.
''The [level 4] rules we have been operating under still exist. We will be out and about stopping motorists to check that they are carrying out legitimate travel,'' he said.
Anybody not out for legitimate purposes would be 'educated' about the level 4 requirements and turned around.
He said anybody travelling with a boat, trailer, caravan or things like surfboards should expect to be stopped as they should not probably be out.
Hill said, though, there will be more traffic on the roads this weekend as people who own businesses that can operate under level 3 are allowed to go to those workplaces to prepare them for opening on Tuesday.
He again warned that people who are out for essential travel need to abide by the rules, which say only one person should be going to the supermarket to get supplies, unless it was not possible to leave the other person at home, such as a child.
''It's best to nominate one person to do the grocery shopping. There's no reason for more than one person to go unless they cannot leave the other person at home alone.''
He said Northlanders should also not be travelling outside of their communities and this weekend and should stay in their bubbles.
Hill said police would also be keeping an eye out for speeding drivers as with the roads having far less traffic, there were some motorists who thought it was a good time to drive too fast.
He thought the vast majority of Northlanders had adhered to the lockdown restrictions well, with only a few blatantly breaching the rules. Anybody who thought people were breaching the rules could ring police on 105 or report them on line at 105.police.govt.nz covid.
