MidCentral District Health Board residents will shift from National Alert Level Two to Alert Level 1 at midnight tonight.

The Government announced today restrictions for the majority of New Zealand will ease to Alert Level 1.

MidCentral DHB Chief Executive Kathryn Cook thanked the community for their vigilance during the move to National Alert Level Two but urged people to remain vigilant.

“As we have seen with the recent community cases in Auckland, COVID-19 remains a very serious issue for New Zealand. We would appeal to people to please stay home if you’re unwell and to call Healthline or your GP Team for advice if you have cold or flu-like symptoms.”

Ms Cook further encouraged people to the use the NZ COVID Tracer App to track their movements, including enabling bluetooth and to maintain high standards of personal hygiene.

MidCentral DHB Medical Officer of Health Dr Robert Weir said testing numbers had spiked since the move to Alert Level Two.

While he appreciated the vigilance of the community, Dr Weir said people only needed a test at a testing site if they have symptoms, had been to a “location of interest” visited by the confirmed community cases or had been asked by Healthline to be tested.

These locations are listed on the Ministry of Health website.

People with symptoms, such as a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose or loss of smell should stay home and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or their GP for advice about getting a test.

“It is important for the right people to have access to testing in the first instance. Please don’t rush in to be tested if you do not have symptoms.”

More information can be found on the Unite Against Covid-19 website. For details about MidCentral DHB’s community testing centres, visit the Health Point website.

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