Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges has commended the Government for introducing a ban on indoor events of more than 100 people but says the Government needs to go further and close our borders to non-New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.

“The number of Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly. We’ve seen enough internationally and in New Zealand to know that this is the right move,” Mr Bridges says.

“All 28 diagnosed cases in New Zealand have come from people travelling from overseas.

“I also continue to call for more urgency around testing. As the World Health Organisation said we need to ‘test, test, test.’ New Zealanders need an assurance that we have enough testing kits and capability at our pathology labs to support this.

“We want to cooperate with the Government around what will happen at our schools and I urge the Education Minister to have comprehensive criteria on this. We will support any moves that make New Zealanders safer in this area.

“Today’s move to limit mass gatherings was a positive step forward from the Government and I urge it to now go further and close our borders. The EU has closed its borders but it was too late to stop widespread community outbreak. We can’t make the same mistake. We are a small isolated nation and we should take advantage of our geographical position.”

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