'It's a shambles' – Todd Muller says Jacinda Ardern needs to move NZ to Alert Level 1 immediately

June 3, 2020

The National Party leader told Breakfast the restrictions need to be loosened.

National leader Todd Muller is calling for the Government to immediately shift the country to Alert Level 1, saying the transition between alert levels has been "a shambles".

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to reveal today what Level 1 will look like, ahead of a decision on whether to move alert levels next week.

It was brought forward after 11 days of no new Covid-19 cases in the country, with only one active case nationwide, and protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Based on the decision-making criteria, New Zealand needs to be at Level 1 now, Mr Muller says.

"It's a shambles actually, the way we're moving from Level 2 to Level 1," he told TVNZ1's Breakfast today.

"The Prime Minister should make the call today so we can get on immediately."

While Ms Ardern is holding fire, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says the country should have been moved to Level 1 last week.

The dissonance within the Government is appalling, Mr Muller says.

"It's quite bizarre that you've got a Deputy Prime Minister who looks at that Cabinet paper and says we should be at Level 1 last week and a Prime Minister who looks at the same paper and says maybe we move to Level 1 next week," he says.

"It's completely unacceptable to be that divergent and in my view we should be at Level 1 now."

Over the weekend, protests were held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to support the Black Lives Matter movement, after unarmed black man George Floyd was killed by a white police officer in the US.

Thousands of people attended the Auckland protest alone, despite the Level 2 restrictions forbidding gatherings of more than 100 people.

When asked yesterday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the protestors didn't need to self-isolate.

"There's currently no evidence of community transmission in New Zealand so at this time, quarantine for 14 days after attending one of these outdoor events is not required," he said in a statement.

A move depends on if there are any more Covid-19 cases in the next week, Jacinda Ardern said.

"It's really important that people remain alert to symptoms and seek advice if they're at all concerned."

That response proves the Government should be moving to Level 1 immediately, Mr Muller says.

"We've got an economic crisis at the moment, we're hemorrhaging jobs, we've got different rules for different people," he says.

"Surely across that measure, we need to be in Level 1 because most of the country are acting as if we are except for businesses."

Cabinet is currently set to review New Zealand's Covid-19 alert levels on June 8, meaning it's possible that New Zealand could move to Alert Level 1 as early as next week.

Ms Ardern says the change will only come "if there are no unexpected cases over the coming days".

SHARE ME

More Stories