There are 49 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today - the lowest in six days. Six babies under the age of one have caught Covid-19 in the Delta outbreak, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.
One person in Taupō and six people in the Bay of Plenty region have been arrested for taking part in Covid-19 protest action today..
Police responded to anti-lockdown events across the country this morning, where small groups gathered outside government and local council buildings.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said 19 people were arrested across the country for failing to comply with alert level 4 restrictions.
One of those arrested was in Taupō, where a small gathering took place. Six people were arrested outside the Tauranga City Council building.
The person arrested in Taupō was a 38-year-old woman on a charge of Obstruct/Hinder Medical Officer. Police confirmed she is due to appear in Taupō District Court tomorrow.In Tauranga, five of those arrested — women aged 44 and 68, and men aged 70, 46 and 74 — were given a formal warning.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The sixth person — a 51-year-old woman — was charged with Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19) is due in Tauranga District Court tomorrow.Arrests were also made in Whanganui, Christchurch, Auckland and Hamilton.
"While these protests were small, the actions of those involved are very disappointing," Coster said.
"While protest is a normal feature of a well-functioning democracy, police have a low tolerance for anyone who deliberately ignores the restrictions in the current situation. Today's arrests reflect that.
"The alert level is in place to protect us all and we need everyone to play their part."
Meanwhile, police say there has been a decrease in the number of people using mountain bike tracks around Rotorua during lockdown.
Police warned cyclists last week they faced being trespassed from the Redwoods and Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua if they flouted level 4 restrictions.
Mountain biking is permitted under level 4 as long as cyclists were on familiar low-risk trails close to home.
"Police have been patrolling regularly, providing guidance on restrictions in place," a police spokesperson said today.
"There has been a significant decrease in the number of people using mountain biking tracks in Rotorua's Whaka/Redwood Forest since alert level 4 began."
Since level 4 started on August 17, 118 people have been charged with a total of 126 offences nationwide.
Of the charges filed, 84 are for Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19), 28 for Failure to Comply with Direction/Prohibition/Restriction, 11 for Health Act Breaches and three for Assaults/Threatens/Hinders/Obstructs Enforcement Officer.
In the same time period, 341 formal warnings were issued to 338 people - 126 for Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19), 119 for Failure to Comply with Direction/Prohibition/Restriction, 95 for Health Act Breaches and one for Assaults/Threatens/Hinders/Obstructs Enforcement Officer.
Police have received a total of 13,531 online breach notifications, of which 8367 were about a gathering, 3865 were about a business, and 1299 were about an individual.
In addition to the Online Breach Reports, a total of 8399 Covid-19-related calls were made to the 105 phone line. The majority (6005) of calls were requests for information, and 2394 were to report perceived Covid-19 breaches.
From August 19, 2021, police began issuing infringements for Covid-19-related breaches.
As at 5pm on August 30, police have issued 2483 infringements nationwide.
The breakdown of these offences is as follows:
• Person failed to remain at current home/residence – 2291 • Person failed to wear a face-covering on-premises – 49 • Person failed to comply with applicable physical distancing rule – 68 • Obstruct/Hinder Medical Officer of Health or Person Assisting Med • Officer/Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19) – 37 • Person failed to wear a face-covering on public transport – 6 • Person in control of premises failed to close as required – 7 • Person in control of workplace failed to display QR code – 15 • Person organised a gathering in an outdoor place – 10
