NEW ZEALAND
The prime minister said it was okay for a cigarette factory in Lower Hutt to remain open, despite a coronavirus lockdown requiring all non-essential businesses to close.
Jacinda Ardern says Imperial Tobacco in Petone supplies goods to supermarkets and dairies, so it is officially declared an “essential service” and allowed to be in operation.
“We haven’t gone into the specifics of every single individual part of the supply chain for a supermarket,” she told media. “You’ll, of course, have noted that we shut down New Zealand in a 48-hour period, so we kept the guidance very simple: if you supply to our supermarkets, then those workforces are able to continue to produce supplies.”
The comment came after Imperial Tobacco told Newshub that the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) had given them permission to keep operating.
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation called on MBIE to reverse its decision, saying it “effectively prioritizes the interests of the tobacco industry over retailers that provide a useful service”.
“We understand and empathize with people who are still dependent on nicotine, and that the current lockdown will be incredibly stressful for many people,” chief executive Letitia Harding said. “However, for smokers who feel able to, especially those with respiratory health problems, we urge them to take this opportunity to quit smoking.”