June 24, 2021
Run on shops as Te Upoko on Covid watch
Te Ūpoko o te Ika is preparing itself for a tense few days of level 2 conditions – and even an escalation to level 3, depending on whether a weekend tourist from Sydney infected anyone else with Covid-19.
Adrian Wagner from Radio Te Ūpoko says Wellington is a village, and everyone will know someone who has to be tested or is self-isolating because of a casual contact.
About 80,000 Māori live in the region, and he says the various Māori and iwi health providers are entrenched in the vaccine roll out.
Like many businesses, the radio station is making plans in case staff have to start working remotely.
"It's still not as bad as in Auckland when the second lockdown happened but still it's up there and people freaking out, that is up there and we've had a bit of a run on the things in the shops, toilet paper and you go to the shop and the whole shelf's gone," he says.
Level 2 restrictions mean Saturday’s Māori-Samoa rugby match will be played without a crowd, but Te Ūpoko will broadcast commentary.
Meanwhile, additional Covid-19 testing stations have been added in Wellington, Wairarapa and the Kāpiti Coast.
The Health Ministry says yesterday there were 6999 tests nationwide including 2100 in Wellington – five times the number of the day before.
In the Wellington region, testing priority is being given to individuals who have been at a location of interest at the specified time and individuals who are symptomatic.
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