28 August 2020

Kia ora koutou katoa,

By Monday morning Auckland should be at COVID-19 Alert Level 2. This will be a relief for many with shops able to open and children able to return to school. It will hopefully feel a bit more like normal life. That said, I know from talking to Aucklanders that moving to Alert Level 2 can be scary with fear of catching the virus at the back of people’s minds. I understand the anxiety but by doing the right things we can help keep ourselves and each other safe.

I saw an interview with a psychologist on the news this week. He said that part of what drives anxiety is things we can’t control. A way of dealing with that is to focus on the things we can. We can all wash our hands regularly, we can all keep a metre apart from each other and, we can use some sort of face-covering in situations where we can’t social distance.

Keeping safe under Alert Level 2

Washing hands and keeping a metre apart is straight-forward but I have heard that there is still some confusion over masks/face-coverings and when they should be worn. The key things are:

• Wearing a mask/face-covering when you cannot maintain physical distance
• From Monday it will be compulsory to wear a mask/face-covering when using public transport for people aged 12 and over
• It does not have to be a mask - you can use another kind of covering, like a bandana, scarf or t-shirt
• Children and young people do not need to wear a mask/face-covering at school. This is because the risk of infection within the school environment is low
• Masks are not needed on school buses
• Passengers in taxis and ubers do not need to wear a mask but the drivers do
• People with disabilities or conditions that mean they cannot safely cover their faces do not have to.

There is information on how to make a mask on the COVID-19 website.

It is also been announced that the Ministry of Social Development will be distributing two million masks to all our main centres as well as a million more to public transport providers for distribution.

The other important thing we can all do to help stop the spread of COVID-19 is using the official COVID-19 Tracer App. It is completely free and easy to download. It is compulsory for businesses to display a QR code poster and they are also providing books or forms where people can write down their details instead.

Financial support for foreign nationals in New Zealand

I know that this is also an anxious time for foreign nationals who are stuck in New Zealand through no fault of their own and experiencing serious financial hardship. Help is available.

The Red Cross and the Department of Internal Affairs are running the Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri programme which delivers assistance to help people on temporary visas meet basic needs, such as food and accommodation. More information on what people are eligible for can be found on the COVID-19 website.

Please share this information with the communities you work with and represent. If people do need help it’s there for them.

Getting a COVID-19 test if someone chooses to travel overseas

In New Zealand, publicly funded COVID-19 related care – including diagnosis, testing and treatment – is provided to anyone who requires it, who has symptoms. This is irrespective of citizenship, visa status, nationality or level of medical insurance coverage.  All care, including assessment and treatment, is free of charge to the person.

There is one situation where people are required to pay for a COVID-19 test, however. Some countries insist on anyone intending to travel to them providing a negative COVID-19 test result before they are allowed on the plane. If someone chooses to travel overseas and wants a test to prove to the country they are travelling to that they do not have COVID-19, they must pay for this.

We are here to help

Please remember we are here for you and you can contact us if you need help. Below is a list of our Regional Managers

Northern Region (upper North Island)
Nandita Mathur - 027 299 8031

Central (central and lower-North Island)
Natasha Narayan – 027 268 5153

Southern Region (South Island)
Shane Whitfield – 029 200 4625

You can also contact us by email at ethnic.communities@dia.govt.nz

I hope the transition to Alert Level 2 for Auckland goes smoothly for everyone and helps remove some of the stress people have been feeling. In the meantime, take care of yourselves, your families, loved ones, and wider communities.

Ngā mihi nui
Anusha Guler
Executive Director, Office of Ethnic Communities