March 04, 2021
Covid mass message missing South Auckland cultures
A South Auckland church leader wants central government to loosen its grip on COVID-19 messaging so local authorities can fill the gaps.
Peter Sykes, who heads the Māngere East Family Service Centre, says some of the messages from Wellington aren't connecting with locals.
People in the region have been the butt of harsh comments about people who broke guidelines when they should have been isolating.
Mr Sykes says cultural tailored information would help whānau feel more included.
"Maintain the integrity of the government's message but put it in a way that is real to our families and not just do it because 'we have told you to do it.' Put it in a cultural context, put it in a cultural format, and then people can understand from a spiritual place, from a being, from who they are," he says.
There were no new community cases of Covid-19 reported today, and director general of health Ashley Bloomfield says he is now confident there is a sharp perimeter around the current outbreak.
Cabinet will meet tomorrow to reassess alert levels.
Copyright © 2021, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com