Also, Hillary Clinton's advice matches mine - don't seek advice from stupid:

freitasm:

 

Please, folks, ignore "health" advice on WhatsApp and Facebook. Lookup for trusted people - there are quite a few, we are a small country, we know them. Unless your aunt's friend's niece is one of these few people, ignore it.

 

I email my Doctor. He usually answers quickly or he or his nurse gives me a call. Your GP should be your primary contact not Dr Google et al I would also suggest that if your medical centre is using 'Manage My Health' then registering for this is an excellent vehicle to as the title suggest manage your health. 

Batman:

 

I am convinced a big reason this pandemic is so bad is due to social media.

 

Yeah, probably the same arm chair experts who are convinced that vaccines are a conspiracy, along with the moon landings and who killed JFK.

If you need any medical advice, I'll be in my bomb shelter with Elvis Presley.

gchiu:

 

Maybe the Govt is not being clear in its messaging.

 

Stay at home.  If you have a river running through your property then do what you like but don't expect emergency services to come and patch you up when they're overwhelmed with covid-19 responses.

 

Likewise, I'm concerned about all these people who have decided to do home renovations or whatever.  How many of them are now going to injure themselves and want to attend ED?

 

There's gotta be a point where people need to use their brains. The government doesn't send out daily reminders that you shouldn't murder anyone, shouldn't litter, and shouldn't abuse animals etc etc.

MikeB4:

 

 Your GP should be your primary contact not Dr Google.  

 

In fairness though, I would never have known that I had a rare (almost unheard of) tropical parasite living in my brain due to the mild headache I was suffering, unless I'd googled my symptoms. 

But in all seriousness - the above example really spells out how incredibly worrying it can be to use Google as your primary source of medical care/advice. 

I live alone and, for the sake of mutual support, I am intending to live with a close friend who also lives alone for the duration of the lockdown period.

Will I be allowed to drive the 30km to return home if the need arises, bearing in mind that my home will be vacant and I would not come into contact with anyone else on the way? On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

alasta:

 

I live alone and, for the sake of mutual support, I am intending to live with a close friend who also lives alone for the duration of the lockdown period.

 

Will I be allowed to drive the 30km to return home if the need arises, bearing in mind that my home will be vacant and I would not come into contact with anyone else on the way? On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

 

PM said stick with your bubble. if your bubble is two, then so be it. but minimized interaction with others. filling up at the pump lots is not good. do you have electric car?

alasta:

 

I live alone and, for the sake of mutual support, I am intending to live with a close friend who also lives alone for the duration of the lockdown period.

 

Will I be allowed to drive the 30km to return home if the need arises, bearing in mind that my home will be vacant and I would not come into contact with anyone else on the way? On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

 

Logically, if you are the only user of your car and do not stop (eg for fuel) en route, avoid encountering anyone at all when you get there and when you come back it would appear OK. However, logic is not always the answer in these matters so perhaps others can suggest alternative information on which to rely!

Unless you have a very good reason to return during the 4 weeks, I would not bother though. Perhaps you can call a neighbour just to look over the fence and report back that all is well by phone?

MoH update today at 1pm. 

https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/covid-19-media-update-25-march

Interesting info from an article in The Spectator

"The testing conducted by the National Health Service in Iceland along with further screening has already yielded some interesting results. Researchers at DeCode genetics have found forty mutations of the coronavirus in Iceland alone; one individual had been infected by two variants at the same time. This is both good and bad news: the theory is that such mutations will make the virus more contagious but potentially less dangerous to those that are affected. Screening also indicates that children seem much less likely to catch the virus, but this may be influenced by the fact that children generally have mild symptoms."

alasta:

 

On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

 

sounds like yes, as I'm planning to do the same few times over the lockdown. But there's delima: person I'm seeing, she lives with 2 kids (15 and older) and her mother... and I don't want to pass on anything to them :( we have not come to the conclusion what would be best to do... I think isolation and exclude all the contact, she insists that we be fine :(

Geektastic:

 

alasta:

 

I live alone and, for the sake of mutual support, I am intending to live with a close friend who also lives alone for the duration of the lockdown period.

 

Will I be allowed to drive the 30km to return home if the need arises, bearing in mind that my home will be vacant and I would not come into contact with anyone else on the way? On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

 

 

Logically, if you are the only user of your car and do not stop (eg for fuel) en route, avoid encountering anyone at all when you get there and when you come back it would appear OK. However, logic is not always the answer in these matters so perhaps others can suggest alternative information on which to rely!

 

Unless you have a very good reason to return during the 4 weeks, I would not bother though. Perhaps you can call a neighbour just to look over the fence and report back that all is well by phone?

 

Thanks, it sounds like there are no specific rules preventing this and therefore common sense and good judgement applies. 

Good point about the fuel, but I think I have enough to get through the four weeks and will try to use disposable gloves if I do need to refuel. I would only return home if we are both coping okay and decide that we need some personal space.

For the jet skier a couple of pages back consider the following,

Apart from contact with others in the event of needing rescue, if you are buzzing up and down the Waikato River in front of your neighbours who are fully following the rules and are feeling the onset of cabin fever, you can expect a visit from the Police. Jet Skis are very annoying to everyone except the rider.

The whole idea is no unnecessary movement or contact. Your trip to the petrol station would not be necessary if you hadn’t converted petrol into noise on the river.

THE FOLLOWING IS MY PERSONAL OPINION (not an expert or ‘in the know’)

There is a Level 5, it is called Martial Law.

It would mean no leaving your property without a permit. (Apply online or by phone for the right to visit supermarket, chemist, doctor, etc)

Dusk til dawn curfew.

Arrest of anyone not obeying the above.

If there isn’t enough compliance with what the government is requiring us to do, expect it to be forced on us ‘Chinese Communist Party Style’. (Severe but effective)

[Mod edit (MF): fixed spelling]

Edit of Mod edit. You missed the t out. But thanks for correcting it. I also clarified the style of martial lockdown, as pointed out by gchiu.

kobiak:

 

alasta:

 

On Checkpoint last night Jacinda said that people who live alone are allowed to have one close contact, but it's unclear whether there will be restrictions on driving distances.

 

 

sounds like yes, as I'm planning to do the same few times over the lockdown. But there's delima: person I'm seeing, she lives with 2 kids (15 and older) and her mother... and I don't want to pass on anything to them :( we have not come to the conclusion what would be best to do... I think isolation and exclude all the contact, she insists that we be fine :(

 

if you stick with the bubble it's ok. if you go back and forth and they get bored and see other bubbles not good. it's shutdown of city, not mass solitary confinement.

those who are working thru as essential services will be doing a lot of meeting (where do you think their kids are going to go - shared between 2-3 families i'd say), but not the expense of your mental health.

Dingbatt:

 

If there isn’t enough compliance with what the government is requiring us to do, expect it to be forced on us ‘China Style’.

 

 

 

[Mod edit (MF): fixed spelling]

 

To those of us of Chinese ancestry, China Style means a highly effective and rational evidence based response to a pandemic with no known effective treatment.