Unstoppable NZ summer

New Zealand is about to enter its summertime holidays, and the government has a plea: Make Summer Unstoppable. Basically, we all need to do what we already do, but make sure we do it without fail. There’s also a back-up plan.

We all should be scanning the QR code in the Covid Tracer App, and now thy’ve added Bluetooth so our Apps can note other phones nearby to make contract tracing easier. New Zealand’s App has been approved by the Privacy Commissioner and complies with New Zealand’s recently strengthened privacy laws. In general, New Zealanders don’t have a problem with the idea of scanning the codes, and this is one of many reasons why that is.

In recent weeks, the government has been reminding and even imploring people to scan the code, but people can get complacent, can’t they? The government’s new “Make Summer Unstoppable” campaign is designed to make people understand what to do, and what happens if they don’t (see the graphic below). There are four TV ads currently in rotation on New Zealand TV, though the one up top is the only one of those ads available for embedding at the moment (all four ads can be seen on the Unite Against Covid 19 website’s Make Summer Unstoppable section). The ads are short, punchy, understandable/relatable—and effective. Well, we hope they are.

What if people do slack off and Covid emerges over summer? The government has announced a plan for that, as outlined in the graphic below and in Tuesday's media briefing [WATCH]. One point made in the briefing is that people need to be aware that if they’re away this summer, they may need to stay there if there’s an outbreak, and so, they need to think about things like who will feed the dog. That’s a good point people need to remember.

The thing is, if everyone does their part, if they scan the QR code, enable Bluetooth for the App on their phones, if they wash their hands, if they cough/sneeze into their elbows, if they stay home if they’re feeling unwell, and if they carry things like facemasks and hand sanitiser with them, then there’s every reason to think that we can avoid a re-emergence of Covid 19 in the community. However, if a case of community transmission does appear, it can be dealt with swiftly and further spread will be stopped.

Kiwis already have a history of doing their part in the battle against Covid 19. If we keep it up, we can all Make Summer Unstoppable.

Related:

"AP Interview: Flattening curve wasn’t enough for New Zealand" – Associated Press
"GDP jump of 14 per cent completes NZ's 'V'-shaped recovery" – Stuff