August 18 2021
Officials are expecting up to 120 cases of Delta-strain Covid-19 infections in New Zealand.
A Marlborough man has been left "in limbo" after a sudden lockdown stopped him from attending his mother's funeral.
Steve* flew from Blenheim to Wellington on Tuesday morning to mourn the loss of his mum, only to turn back a day later after a man from Devonport tested positive for coronavirus, sending New Zealand into alert level 4.
Under last year's level 4 restrictions, families could only hold services for loved ones that had been living in the same bubble. It was unclear if the same rules applied this year.
"I have family from Auckland who arrived last night and didn't even leave Wellington Airport. They heard the announcement and knew they had to turn back home."
Blenheim man Steve* has left Wellington just a day after arriving for his mother's funeral, after New Zealand was sent into lockdown. Photo / Chloe Ranford/LDR
The man who tested positive visited a number of locations in Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula on the weekend, and was believed to have been infectious since August 12.
The Government would reconsider New Zealand's alert level status after three days of lockdown, except for Auckland and Coromandel, which would be reassessed next Tuesday.
"There was no warning that this was coming," Steve said.
"Previously, the Government has put us in alert level 1 or 2 before taking us higher ... The family is sitting in limbo at the moment. Our ability to plan has been taken from us."
The Government had asked people to return home within the first 48 hours of the lockdown. Steve said even if he was able to stay, he was unsure if the lockdown would be lifted.
"Mum might be buried with no one physically there."
Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand chief executive David Moger said a lot of difficult conversations would have happened with families, as most funerals were planned three to five days ahead of time.
Although no funerals were allowed, funeral directors were essential workers and could deal with any deaths that happened just before or during the alert level 4 lockdown.
"For a family who unfortunately lose a loved one from this point forward ... they don't have to stress, they don't have to worry, we are here to help them," Moger said.
Moger said there was a lack of clarity from the Government about whether viewings were allowed by members of a deceased person's immediate bubble. He said it was allowed during last year's lockdown, between March and May, but there was no detail on if this was still the case.
Marlborough Airport operations manager Steve Holtum estimates about 750 people will travel from Auckland to Marlborough in the first 48 hours of lockdown. Photo / Chloe Ranford/LDR
Marlborough Airport operations manager Steve Holtum estimated around 175 people would jet from Auckland to Marlborough during the 48-hour window, based on old data.
"Separation has being introduced so flights are running at 50 per cent capacity, meaning there are about 25 passengers on Air New Zealand planes instead of the usual 50," he said.
"We've been busy with people coming home."
Holtum said the airport was allowed to continue operating until the 48-hour window closed at midnight on Thursday. It would close from Friday "until the level 4 alert was lifted".
Marlborough Airport chief executive Dean Heiford said the lockdown was unlikely to impact the airport's profits unless extended beyond three days. The airport was owned by the Marlborough District Council through a separate company.
Last year's two-month lockdown saw Marlborough Airport's passenger numbers nosedive from 326,000 to 225,000. It did not expect to reach its old passenger intake until 2023.
Since the positive case was announced, the airport had intensified its cleaning regime for "high touch point" areas, such as door knobs and baggage trolley handles.
It had also closed to everyone except its passengers, so social distancing could take place within the terminal.
Still, Steve was endeavouring to "see the humour" in the situation. He was due to be vaccinated against coronavirus last week, but had a cough, so was postponed to this week.
