New Zealand has its first life-threatening case of coronavirus, with an elderly man in intensive care as he battles the disease.
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Health officials confirmed another 85 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the country's overall tally to 368.
The man, in his 70s and with underlying health conditions, is fighting for his life on a ventilator in Nelson Hospital on South Island.
"(The man) has been in there for some days, was originally not so bad but has deteriorated over the last 24 hours," Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.
The Nelson case is significant as New Zealand is yet to record a death from the rapidly-spreading virus.
Only South Africa (with 927 cases) and Qatar (549) have recorded more positive tests without a loss of life.
Just eight New Zealand patients currently require hospitalisation for their treatment.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ordered a wide-reaching lockdown as the country battles the spread of the global pandemic.
The government has mandated only businesses deemed "essential" are allowed to continue to operate.
That edict has seen restaurants close, butchers give away meat and florists give away fresh flowers that they are unable to store through the four-week lockdown.
However, the decision to allow tobacco sales and manufacturing during the shutdown has infuriated the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation (ARFNZ).
ARFNZ board member Richard Edwards, a public health physician, said it was "outrageous" the government would allow an Imperial Tobacco factory based near Wellington to continue to make cigarettes.
"Smoking is an ongoing health emergency," he said.
"This decision is particularly unfortunate given the emerging evidence that COVID-19 infections may be more severe among smokers, and flies in the face of the Government's commitment to achieve a Smokefree Aotearoa."
Ms Ardern dismissed the idea of amending the government's advice, saying the immediacy of the lockdown demanded swift action.
"We haven't gone in to the specifics of every individual part of a supply chain for a supermarket," she said.
"We shut down New Zealand in a 48 hour period.
"We kept the guidance very simple; if you supply to our supermarkets, you are able to continue to produce supplies for our supermarkets."
Ms Ardern implored Kiwis to maintain social distancing practices towards anyone not in their households, invoking a scene from Sydney last week in her messages to the public.
"I do not want to see the scenes of Bondi Beach in New Zealand," she said.
"We must, must make sure people stay apart and if we congregate on beaches or congregate on parks, that presents a huge risk."
Australian Associated Press
