コロナ規制の違反者「叱って」　ＮＺ首相が国民に訴え

【ウェリントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ニュージーランドのジャシンダ・アーダーン首相は1日、新型コロナウイルス対策の規制に違反している人が身近にいたら「叱る」よう国民に強く呼び掛けた。国内では、最大都市オークランドでの新たなロックダウン（都市封鎖）の発端は相次ぐ違反行為だったとして、怒りの声が高まっている。（写真はニュージーランドのジャシンダ・アーダーン首相。首都ウェリントンでの記者会見にて）
　アーダーン氏は、オークランドで最近確認された感染者の一部に、感染拡大予防の隔離措置を無視したり、接触者追跡調査の際に行動歴をすべて申告しなかったりする違反行為が複数あったと指摘。こうした行為が１か月間で２度目となるロックダウンにつながったと批判した。
　「その代償を、私たち全員が払っている」とアーダーン氏は述べ、「誰もが怒っている。（中略）それは私も重々承知している」といら立ちを見せた。
　人口約５００万人のニュージーランドで、新型コロナウイルスによる死者は２６人にとどまっており、アーダーン氏の対応は多方面から高く評価されている。
　しかし、アーダーン氏はウイルスの封じ込めには国民全員の協力が必要だと訴え、「それが、規制に従わない家族や同僚を叱ることと同義ならば、私たちはそうすべきだ。思いやりを持ちつつ、そうしなければならない。そうしてほしい」と呼び掛けた。
　ニュージーランド当局には規制違反者に強制措置をとる権限があるが、航空機や公共交通機関でマスクを着用していなくても、罰金を科された人は今のところいない。
　取り締まりを強化する必要性について記者団に問われたアーダーン氏は、警察が判断することだとして、「法の執行を決定するのは政治家ではない。それが正しい」と答えた。一方で、「法令上の規定はある」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/02-15:02）

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders to call out Covid-19 rule-breakers Monday, as public anger built over a series of infringements that forced the country's largest city back into lockdown.
A frustrated Ardern -- who has won widespread praise for her pandemic response -- said the breaches that led to Auckland being shut down for the second time in a month were intolerable.
She said some people involved in the latest outbreak had ignored clear instructions to remain in isolation and failed to fully disclose their movements to contact tracers.
Those individuals are facing the judgement of the entire nation, there are consequences, undoubtedly, Ardern told reporters.
New Zealand has recorded only 26 Covid-19 deaths in a population of five million, but Ardern said everyone needed to cooperate in order to keep the virus in check.
If that means calling a family member or colleague out for not following the rules then we should do that. Do it with kindness, but do it, she said.
The stay-at-home order was imposed in Auckland on Sunday, after it became clear a snap three-day lockdown last month had not halted a cluster of infections in the city of 1.7 million.
Concerns centred on a family where the chain of transmission was unclear, although it has since emerged they had contact with infected members of another family in defiance of isolation orders.
One of those involved visited a doctor, a college and the gym while awaiting the results of a test that eventually showed he had the virus.
Ardern said we're all paying the price for their actions.
Everyone is angry... I totally get that, she said.
At the same time, how do we make sure people tell us the truth because there is nothing more valuable to us than knowing, in these scenarios, where contact has occurred?
The Auckland cluster currently comprises 15 cases, 12 of them active, and authorities will be closely monitoring any further infections before making a decision on easing restrictions.
New Zealand's strategy is to eliminate coronavirus by following up every community case with extensive testing and contact tracing, backed where necessary by regional lockdowns.
Authorities have the ability to take enforcement action against rule-breakers, but have yet to issue a single fine for not wearing a mask on a plane or public transport.
Asked if enforcement needed to be more proactive, Ardern said it was an operational matter for the police.
Politicians aren't the ones that determine enforcement, and that's rightly so, she said.
But the provisions exist.