Coronavirus: Kiwis react with memes to new Auckland lockdown 'roadmap'

  • 05/10/2021

The three-step roadmap released by the Government on Monday outlining Auckland's way out of lockdown sparked a massive reaction online, with some Kiwis confused by the plan and others excited by the chance to see friends again. 

While light on detail, the plan presented by the Prime Minister has three stages, with the first kicking into gear on Tuesday night

From 11:59pm, outdoor gatherings between two households are allowed with a maximum of 10 people, travel within Auckland is allowed for exercise, recreation and sport, and early learning centres can open. People are still encouraged to wear a face covering and physically distance.

The second stage - which has no date attached to it - will allow retail to operate with safety measures in place, public facilities like pools and libraries to open, and outdoor gatherings to have 25 people.

Finally, the third step will allow hospitality and entertainment venues to open to 50 people, social gatherings can happen indoors with a limit of 50 attendees and close contact businesses, like hairdressers, can also operate.

Each of these steps takes place at alert level 3 and will only go into effect "if the public health assessment tells us it is safe to do so". They'll be reviewed each week.  

However, the large amount of information and the lack of clarity around the length and detail of each step has left many confused, while others are excited by the prospect of getting back outside with other bubbles. 

"I've completely figured out Auckland's new Level 3 roadmap," one person said with a GIF of Zach Galifianakis' The Hangover character trying to do complex algebra in his head.

Another Twitter user posted a picture of Dora the Explorer trying to choose between three different bridges on one of her journeys.

"How I pictured the roadmap as she walked us through it: 3 levels but you have to progress through each one. if you fail, you  are eliminated or go back to the start "

On Reddit, someone posted the classic 'Stay home. Save lives' poster that became well-known early on in the pandemic alongside a new poster with a long paragraph explaining the new system. That second poster features the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia conspiracy theory map meme. 

Another person reacted to the roadmap by noting rain is forecast for most of the week for Auckland. They posted a GIF of someone sitting outside eat and drinking while being poured on. 

"Every Aucklander this weekend heading out for a picnic with another bubble despite the weather."

The well-known NZLockdownMemes Instagram page posted a meme of a man being gifted a new shirt exactly the same as the one he is already wearing. The shirt he is wearing is labelled 'OG Level 3', while the new (but same) shirt is labelled 'Level 3 with park piss-ups'. 

Others opted to use their words, rather than memes.

Blogger Martyn Bradbury described the plan as "less a 'roadmap' and more a goat track through Mordor", while one user said the roadmap "looks like tossing together last-minute ideas in Microsoft Paint because they didn't have backup plan against all the angry media coverage over the weekend". 

Others, however, were confused by the confusion. 

"I don’t understand the confusion around Auckland’s roadmap?" one person said. "From tomorrow it’s still level 3 but you can meet 1 other household socially distanced outside. They will review this weekly and move to Phase 2 when it’s safe taking into consideration case numbers, vaccines etc."

Another noted that the plan was based on health advice from the Director-General of Health.

"I trust the government and their experts. I have until now and I have no reason to change now. You can attack them all you like, but it's up to the people of Auckland now. Get vaccinated. Follow the rules. If you are outside Auckland, push people to get vaccinated."