Fishing, surfing and hunting beckon New Zealanders after coronavirus lockdown

New Zealanders should be able to go fishing, surfing, hunting and hiking this week for the very first time in more than a month as the country begins to help ease its way out of a strict lockdown that successfully slowed the spread of the coronavirus.

Around 400,000 persons will go back to work following the country shifts its alert level down a notch at nighttime on Monday, but shops and restaurants will stay closed as several social restrictions stay in place.

New Zealand's 5 million residents were put through among the strictest lockdowns on the globe in response to the pandemic, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern closing offices, schools, bars and restaurants, including eliminate and delivery services, on March 26.

Beaches, waterfronts and playgrounds were also shut, effectively restricting persons with their homes and short walks around their neighborhood.

Many businesses, including parliament and the courts, commenced preparations over the weekend to restart businesses this week while maintaining ongoing social distancing rules.

Eateries announced contactless delivery plans, shops showcased their latest collections online for home delivery and office towers posted social distancing rules in elevators and public areas.

Still, Ardern stressed that public gatherings remain banned and asked persons to remain in their "bubble".

Keen fishers will be permitted to cast a line from a wharf only as boating, yachting and other team sports or training remained barred. Hunting will be allowed on private land with special restrictions.

"We must ensure that we do not let the virus try to escape on us again and result in a new wave of cases and deaths," Ardern said at a news conference on Monday. "To achieve success we need to hunt down the last few cases of the virus."

New Zealand has reported 1,122 cases of COVID-19, including 19 deaths, with the daily rate of new infections staying under 1% for the past two weeks.

Ben Kennings, general manager for industry group Surfing New Zealand, said persons were itching to come back to sea in a country where the average 60,000 boarders hit the waves weekly.

"We have done well to remain out from the water, but tomorrow there's likely to be a lot of people keen to go surfing," Kennings said. "It really is an individual sport that can be practiced with social distancing."

Rely upon governments in Australia and New Zealand has risen because the start of the pandemic, opinion polls show, with their ideologically opposite leaders hailed for his or her management of the crisis.

In Australia, where in fact the rate of new daily cases has likewise slowed to below 1%, two states with small numbers of cases will ease restrictions this week. Western Australia is allowing indoor and outdoor gatherings as high as 10 people to resume from Monday, while Queensland will later this week allow picnics, retail shopping and drives as high as 50 kilometers from home. Other states in Australia's federal political system, where COVID-19 cases have already been higher, are not yet relaxing their rules.

Both countries have floated the thought of checking travel between them, creating a coronavirus-free trans-tasman bubble although no decision has yet been made.

Economy reboot 

While Ardern has generally received public support, there's been growing criticism that similar results may have been achieved with less stringent lockdown measures, as in Australia.

Ardern now faces the task of restarting a $200 billion trade and tourism dependent economy from a standing start, while facing national elections in September.

Treasury has forecast gross domestic product to fall by as much as one-third and the jobless rate to hit 13%, even with NZ$20 billion of fiscal measures announced by Ardern and quantitative easing by the central bank.

Ardern stressed this week's eased conditions were centered on opening up the economy, instead of people's social lives.

"It can't be go back to pre COVID-19 life," she said. "That day should come, but its not here yet."