A doubling of our covid-19 death toll shows we cannot afford to relax the way we go about our lockdown

The two deaths have brought the total number up to four.

Clinical Psychologist Dougal Sutherland from Victoria University says people may become anxious when they hear the news.

He says people were slipping into complacency before Easter - under the wrong impression things were easing up.

A man in his 80s, died at Wellington Hospital, and a man in his 70s died at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch.