The Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce and a leading public health expert are disappointed the Government ignored the South Island in yesterday’s COVID19 press conference.

The conference, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, lasted for an hour, but there was no mention of the South Island.

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce CEO Leeann Watson said “ it was disappointing that Christchurch as New Zealand’s second-largest city in New Zealand, let alone the South Island was not mentioned, let alone provided with any further clarity on when we are likely to move or change our alert level and what future restrictions may look like.”

“While we appreciate the challenges with the North Island the current situation of increased cases, the South Island is still very much impacted by the current alert level and their restrictions and the impact of Auckland being in level 3.”

Watson said “businesses need and want more clarity on what future operating restrictions will be and when we are likely to move and what the triggers are for moving us.”

“As we are yet to see a positive community Covid case in the South Island, it could be seen as a practical idea to treat the Cook Strait as a natural regional border.  The practical implications of this however would be far-reaching, as it would effectively impact all travel into the South Island, requiring controls and checks at entries throughout the country.”

“There would also need to be very clear guidelines ahead of any changes around what ‘visitor’ means. We would need to be absolutely clear that this does not further impact the ability for businesses to trade.  If this did happen, those most impacted e.g. tourism and hospitality would also need to be supported given how reliant they are on domestic travel in the absence of any international tourism.”

Professor Nick Wilson from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago said “It was of concern that there was no announcement about strengthening internal borders around Auckland to prevent spread to other regions.”

“For places like the South Island, we probably should be aiming to have some border controls so as to replicate the success of Tasmania, which has had no community cases for over 500 days.”

Professor Wilson said “while maintaining its current Covid-19-free status, the South Island could potentially be moved to a lower Alert Level once a tighter border has been established around regions in the North Island with current or potential community transmission. If there is spread to other parts of the North Island in coming weeks and months, then the South Island should have its own tight border around it.”