Covid-19 coronavirus: Government assessing whether hunting allowed at level 3

According to Grant Robertson, the Covid-19 website had an error saying hunting will not be allowed in alert level 3. Photo / Getty Images

Finance Minister Grant Robertson today said there is no ban on hunting during alert level 3, but the Government is continuing to assess whether the activity will be allowed to return once New Zealand is out of lockdown.

During the daily presser with the Ministry of Health, Robertson said the Covid-19 website had "an error" on it about hunting being banned under level 3.

According to the Finance Minister, hunting is not banned under level 3, but he said the Government was assessing the risks and had yet to make a decision about whether that would be the case.

There are two new deaths and eight new cases of coronavirus in New Zealand. The death toll from coronavirus is now 11.

Cabinet will decide on Monday whether to drop to alert level 3.

According to Grant Robertson, the Covid-19 website had an error saying hunting will not be allowed in alert level 3. Photo / Getty Images

Information about what it will look like, released yesterday by the Prime Minister, was not an invitation to adopt the measures yet, Robertson said.

When asked about whether the Government was considering staying at level 4, he said there was more work to be done.

The rules state that people should work from home if possible, people can expand their bubbles "a small amount" and only regional travel is permitted.

Schools will be open for younger children up to and including year 10 but attendance would be voluntary.

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Robertson said schools would have at least a week after the announcement of level 4 being lifted before they would open so they could prepare.

Level 3 was not "markedly different" from alert level 4, Robertson said. It allowed more businesses to open and "is not a return to pre-Covid days". We were still a long way from that, he said.

"There is more mahi to do."

Robertson indicated to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning that level 3 might last only two weeks.

"We've used blocks of two weeks because that's the way that the virus gestates, and so, two-week blocks, four-week blocks give us a sense of controlling the virus.

"That's why we said four weeks of level four and similarly we use those kind of blocks because that's what fits with the advice we have about how the virus gestates."

He rejected suggestions Australia had done a better job balancing health impacts and the economy, saying New Zealand's actions had worked well for this country.

"New Zealanders have done a remarkable job of supporting this lockdown ... there is still some way to go in completing that job. Clearly we have to keep bringing people with us. It's why we are getting information out there about level 3, before we have even made the decision about moving there."

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