23 Mar 2020

Recap: Coronavirus updates in NZ and around the world on 23 March

6:08 pm on 23 March 2020

New Zealanders are preparing to go into an unprecedented lockdown period at midnight on Wednesday to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Queues at Mt Wellington supermarkets after it was announced the country is moving into alert level 3 and then 4 in the next few days.

Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

As Covid-19 spreads around the world, it can be daunting keeping up with the information. For RNZ, our responsibility is to give you verified, up to the minute, trustworthy information to help you make decisions about your lives and your health. We'll also be asking questions of officials and decision makers about how they're responding to the virus. Our aim is to keep you informed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced this afternoon that the Covid-19 alert level would rise to level four on Wednesday night after it was confirmed the country now has 102 cases and the Ministry of Health said the virus was spreading in the community.

Hundreds of thousands of people are now preparing to work from home, and supermarkets are also begging people to shop normally and stop panic buying ahead of the national lockdown.

  • If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs)

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