Businesses on the West Coast of the South Island say they should be allowed to open their doors ahead of other regions where cases of Covid-19 are a lot higher. Some on the West Coast believe their region is uniquely placed to move straight to a lower level. "The West Coast geographically really only has four main highway entry points. The manager of advocacy group, Minerals West Coast, Patrick Phelps, said with a population of just 32,000 spread over 23,000km, physical distancing was not a problem. "It's pretty hard to be within two meters of someone on the West Coast you know, rather than having to keep two meters away from them."

Source: Otago Daily Times April 15, 2020 20:26 UTC