Residents and small business owners throughout the Western Waikato area – Waitomo, Ōtorohanga and Waipā Districts – are being encouraged to comply with the Government’s Level 4 lockdown rules.

There is growing concern throughout the community regarding people requesting, buying and selling non-essential items online and through local buy, sell and exchange Facebook groups, as well as non-essential business owners operating a contactless service.

Western Waikato Emergency Management Response Manager Dave Simes says he understands life doesn’t stop and the needs of people become more apparent in a lockdown situation, but rules are in place for a reason and safety is paramount when it comes to combatting the spread of Covid-19.

“The numbers of people contracting Covid-19 increases every day, and the number of locations of interest is also rapidly growing. It is important to comply with Level 4 restrictions if we want these numbers to reduce,” he says.

“We sympathise with our residents and local businesses that are doing it hard under the Level 4 restrictions, but help is available for everyone.

“The Ministry of Social Development can provide extra assistance during this lockdown period. Please contact them on 0800 559 009 if you need help.”

There is also financial help available for businesses in the form of wage subsidies and resurgence support payments. A business helpline is also available on 0800 424 946.

Businesses that are not registered as “essential” are breaching Level 4 restrictions if offering services or sending out items using contactless delivery under Level 4.

“If you have an enquiry about the Alert Level 4 rules or if you are unsure if you can operate, business owners can also email [email protected] for advice,” says Dave.

“People are only allowed to leave their homes to access essential services and should not be picking up items requested through social media pages, regardless of being contactless.

“Please hang in there and don’t get complacent. We’ve done this before and we can do it again.”

For information on help for businesses: https://covid19.govt.nz/business-and-money/financial-support/financial-support-for-businesses/

Police have also launched a new online form which the public can use to report COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restriction breaches.

The online form can be found at https://www.police.govt.nz/105support#covid