The Southern District Health Board's Medical Officer of Health Dr Susan Jack has moved to clear up any confusion around between ‘stay at home’ and ‘self-isolation’ instructions.

“Self-isolation applies to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, who has had close contact with a COVID-19 case or who has returned from overseas in the past 14 days. Self-isolation means no contact with anyone else for any reason, including those in the same household,” Dr Jack says.

“The nationwide instruction to ‘stay at home’ is a way of separating people by household. The ‘bubble’, referred to by the Prime Minister, is a small group of people that live in your house and are your only contacts for the lockdown period. It is important that everyone understands whether they should be in the ‘stay at home’ or ‘self-isolation’ category. Most people will move to ‘stay at home’ status after completing 14 days of self-isolation. Public Health South will advise on a case by case basis where longer self-isolation periods are required.”

Meanwhile, Emergency Management Southland (EMS) Covid-19 Response duty controller Bruce Halligan said there had been quite a few questions around staying at home and what people can and cannot do.

He said EMS was reiterating the NZ Government self-isolation advice that says people can leave their houses to access essential services, like buying groceries, or going to a bank or pharmacy.

The only people who can go to work are those who work for an essential service.

People are allowed to go for a walk and exercise – but if they do leave their house, they must keep a two-metre distance from other people at all times, and stay local.

“We know that Southlanders are a resilient and caring bunch who want to help keep each other safe and well," Mr Halligan said.

The more everyone followed guidance around self-isolating, the more this would also ease the burden on Southland’s highly valued health professionals, he said. 

More information, on self-isolation and staying at home can be found HERE.