New Zealand at Alert Level 4
UPDATE
August 18
1.16pm
The Prime Minister and the Director-General of Health are currently giving an update to the nation at the Beehive.
Here's what you need to know:
- Genome sequencing was undertaken last night and it has been confirmed that this is linked to the NSW outbreak.
- There are no genomic matches to those cases at the border to this case.
- There are a further two cases to report in the community.
- From 11:59pm, it will be compulsory to wear masks when accessing essential services.
- From 8am tomorrow, the Covid-19 vaccination programme will resume.
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UPDATE
August 18
9.10am
- Four new cases have been identified, all genomically linked to the original case
- The original case has been confirmed as having the Delta variant
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New Zealand will move to a Level 4 lockdown after a community case was detected in Auckland.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was joined by Ashley Bloomfield at a press conference, where she confirmed that Auckland and Coromandel would move to Alert Level 4 from 11.59pm for seven days, while the rest of the country will be under Level 4 conditions for three days.
It is unknown whether this case is that of the Delta variant. Bloomfield stated that genome sequencing will be completed by tomorrow morning.
There is currently 23 locations of interest, 10 in Auckland and 13 in Coromandel. Current locations of interest can be found here.
The case has no links to the border and interviews are currently being undertaken with the case to find any possible locations of interest and how they came to be in contact with Covid-19.
Here's what you need to know:
- A refresh on Level restrictions and what it means for you.
- Here are the locations of interest.
- If you have any flu-like symptoms, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or ring your GP.
- Find your closest Covid-19 testing location on the Healthpoint website
- Essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open.
For more information, visit covid19.govt.nz.
Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Exclusive Christmas Sleep Deals - Up to 65% OFF Beds!
Hi neighbours,
This coming Christmas, why not treat yourself to better sleep? For one day only, we’re offering an extra 5% OFF on top of our already reduced Boxing Day Bed Sale prices!
With up to 65% OFF on selected beds and FREE delivery, there’s never been a better time to upgrade your sleep. But hurry, these deals are moving fast, and once stock is gone, it’s gone!
If you’d like to see what’s available:
Find your nearest Beds4U store: beds4u.co.nz/store-locator
Browse all Boxing Day deals: beds4u.co.nz/boxing-day
Don’t miss out, give yourself the gift of quality sleep this Christmas!
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