The Bull Ring

‘𝕎𝕖’𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤’: ℕℤ 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕖𝕝𝕥𝕒 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕞𝕗𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕒𝕤 “𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕨𝕤, 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟”. N ew Zealand has reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, all but one in Auckland. One case in Wellington was a close contact already in isolation. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said a bounce in numbers - there were 49 yesterday, the lowest number in six days - was expected. . . He said it was clear it was still lower than the peak of 83 cases on Sunday, proving the reproduction rate was staying low. The rate was under 1 on Tuesday. More than 70 per cent of Tuesday’s cases were already isolating and had not triggered new exposure site warnings. Bloomfield said the latest modelling was “more positive news, showing we are breaking the chains of transmission”. The country south

ℕℤ 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕓𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕓𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟. New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and her director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, have used Covid communications to mobilise the people.  Photograph: Getty Images 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕨𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕’𝕤 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤, 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕚𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖’𝕤 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟 I n locked-down New Zealand, life orbits around the 1pm briefing. As the home-bound nation digests its lunch, the director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield – frequently alongside prime minister  Jacinda Ardern  – takes the stage behind a socially distanced podium and updates the country. In the midst of a Covid outbreak, those briefings occur almost every weekday. They are so clockwork-regular, so predictable in their essential structure,  that c

𝕊𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒'𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕤 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕊𝕪𝕕𝕟𝕖𝕪’𝕤 𝔻𝕖𝕝𝕥𝕒 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔸𝕤𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟜 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕: ‘𝔸𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕒’ To overseas eyes, going into national lockdown over a single case should have been a hard sell, even for an extraordinarily popular prime minister such as  Jacinda Ardern . But a  disastrous outbreak of the Delta variant in Sydney  has helped galvanise New Zealand’s “team of 5 million” – and across the country, the government’s tough strategy on Covid-19 has enjoyed widespread popular support. On Tuesday, New Zealand was plunged into a national, level 4 lockdown – the highest level of restrictions – as the country announced  its first local case of the Delta variant. That new

ℕℤ ℂ𝕆𝕍𝕀𝔻-𝟙𝟡 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕟 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕝𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕟𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚-𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 Some were furious at the turnout, while others blamed a lack of communication. Photo credit: Getty Images 𝔸 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕪, 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟 𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕡𝕠𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚-𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℂ𝔹𝔻 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕜. Police arrived at Aotea Square to break up the demonstration on Friday after being alerted to chatter about it on social media, but told Newshub only one person arrived with the intention of protesting. "Police have been in the area and have spoken to one person who arrived intending to attend the protest," a spokesperson said. "Police spoke to the individual who was encourage

𝔾𝕠 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣, 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕥 As this family enjoyed a walk in Wellington yesterday, New Zealand recorded its worst Covid day. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕-𝟙𝟡 𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕥 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝟝𝟘𝟘 𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪. A further 83 new cases were reported yesterday, the worst day of the Delta outbreak and one of the worst yet in the pandemic. Ministry of Health analysis revealed almost a third of the latest group were infected outside their homes, mostly at essential workplaces. Regions south of Auckland will drop to alert level 3 at 11.59pm tomorrow. Professor Shaun Hendy, a Covid modelling expert at Auckland University, said New Zealand needed to up its game to beat the virus. The Government should also be ‘‘thinking now’’ about how to accelerate the vaccine roll-out, particularly for Auckland, Hendy said. Prime