Kiwis celebrate end of month-long lockdown by flocking to … Maccas
New Zealanders eager for their first taste of McDonald’s in more than a month have lined up in drive-through lanes well before dawn as Kiwis celebrate the end of their brutal lockdown.
Customers queue at a fast food restaurant for drive-through food as level four COVID-19 restrictions are eased in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. New Zealand eased its strict lockdown restrictions to level three at midnight to open up certain sections of the economy after 33 days at level four . (AP Photo/Mark Baker
On Tuesday, the New Zealand government lifted the most extreme measures of its response to COVID-19.
For many Kiwis that meant a return to work.
For others, it meant getting stuck into take-away.
Jacinda Ardern’s Government banned all restaurants from operating during the five-week level-four lockdown, making New Zealanders reliant on supermarkets and local dairies for their food.
With the restrictions lifted, many want straight for the golden arches.
In New Plymouth, the local McDonald’s store had customers waiting in line at the drive-through from 3:30am, according to Radio NZ.
There were about 40 cars in a row, snaking outside the facility, when the store actually opened at 5:00am.
Hutt South MP Chris Bishop posted his McDonald’s and takeaway coffee haul on Twitter, saying “It’s hard to explain how good this tastes.”
In Porirua, near Wellington, NZME reporter Jason Pine said there were 21 cars waiting to be served at 4:40am.
While Tuesday’s frivolity was an event out of the box, New Zealand has a problem with fast food.
New Zealand is the third-fattest country in the OECD, with even worse figures for children, according to the organisation’s Obesity Update 2017.
But the shift to level three also returned many to their healthier habits.
Many New Zealanders also took their first chance to go surfing in a month on Tuesday morning after that pastime was also barred under the restrictions.
-AAP
