Covid 19 coronavirus: Fatima Savea's message to New Zealanders in lockdown

Fatima Savea, wife of former All Black Julian Savea, has posted a message to New Zealanders from her home in France, where she remains in quarantine with her rugby player husband and the couple's child.

In a post in the public Facebook group "Connection in Isolation NZ", Fatima Savea warned Kiwis to take the lockdown seriously or risk being in isolation for longer.

Fatima Savea has urged Kiwis to take the lockdown seriously. Photo / Fatima Savea

"We are on day 16 of what was supposed to be a 15-day lockdown," she wrote from her home in France.

"We have been informed that it's been extended till the 15th of April and possibly another extension after that till May."

Savea felt compelled to write the post because she has seen "a lot of people in New Zealand taking isolation really casually".

"I just want to tell you that we were the same here when we first found out about the virus 'nah it's all good it's not gonna affect us'... and here we are now, we can only leave the house for one hour a day, with a letter of displacement in our pockets at all times outlining where we live, what time we left the house and why. If we are caught without it we get fined 135€ and if caught twice 1000€ and if you're a multiple offender I am pretty sure you have to serve some jail time," she wrote.

"We've had over 60 thousand cases and over 4 thousand deaths so far and we haven't even reached the peak. It's scary and the uncertainty is really unsettling and as much as we're trying to keep a positive outlook on things, we are finding it difficult to plan what our next step is... so I urge you all to be more careful, not to take this as a little holiday and to not make the same mistake that most of us in Europe made. The longer people don't abide by the rules, the longer isolation will be.

"Anyway just thought I'd share an insight on some Kiwis lives in a red zone country and hope it helps some of you understand the severity of things," she added.

"The most difficult part in all of it is the uncertainty that comes with it. I can't even imagine what people, who have lost their jobs, must be feeling during this uncertain time. So I want to send a prayer to all those who are having a more difficult time than others. You aren't alone."

The Savea family live in Toulon, France. The former All Black plays wing for Toulon in the Top 14.

Both Julian and Fatima have been documenting their time in isolation on social media.

Day 14 💥 pic.twitter.com/6GcyfXPujk

— Julian Savea (@juliansavea7) March 30, 2020

View this post on Instagram

When @juliansavea7 plans a “at home date night” 🥰🥰

A post shared by F A T I M A S A V E A 🦋 (@_timasavea) on Mar 31, 2020 at 12:07pm PDT

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website