Covid-19: Hospital visitors restricted, toilet paper in hot demand in Canterbury
Hi Cantabrians,
Hundreds are queueing for Covid-19 tests in Christchurch, while grocery shoppers are heeding pleas to not panic buy as the country enters the first day of a nationwide lockdown.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the shift to alert level 4 for at least three days for the entire country after a 58-year-old Auckland man contracted Covid-19 from an unknown source.
On Wednesday, a long line of cars ran down the length of Orchard Rd near Christchurch Airport as people waited to access a Covid-19 testing centre – some as long as three hours. There were similar scenes at a centre on Pages Rd.
As panic buying set in after the 6pm announcement, some supermarkets were running out of toilet paper and flour. A number of photos had been shared on social media showing empty shelves and long queues.
Read the full story by clicking 'Read more' below.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.2% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
House fire causing road closures
Pages Road is closed this afternoon from Breezes Road, this is due to a house that has caught fire in the area.
Coastal Ward Community Board member, Alex Hewison, shared the closure on a local Facebook page.
Fire and Emergency are at the scene but further details have not been shared at this stage.
Avoid the area where possible.
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