All of New Zealand, south of Auckland, will move to Alert Level 3 for a week on midnight, Tuesday, after the latest Covid-19 Delta outbreak caused a two-week lockdown.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the decision on Friday afternoon but confirmed today after cases haven’t been detected outside Auckland, except for a confined number in Wellington, since the outbreak started.
She said there are a decrease of cases outside households and essential work places.
Auckland and Northland will remain in Alert Level 4 restrictions due to the increased number of cases in the super city.
Ardern said the decision “put us in the best possible position to give as much certainty as we can.”
If wastewater testing continues to be negative for Covid-19, then Northland will move to Level 3 on Thursday morning.
She said Auckland will remain in Level 4 four two more weeks with a decision pending on Monday, September 13.
“We will need to be confident we’ve stamped it out and have cases contained and isolated.
“We need to be confident delta isn’t circulating in the community undetected,” she said.
There were over 80 cases on both Saturday and Sunday and 53 recorded on Monday, all in Auckland and one in Wellington. More details on the current case statistics can be found here(external link).
On Monday, September 6, Ardern, cabinet and health officials will decide whether to move the remainder of New Zealand out of Alert Level 3.
Alert Level 3 means there is still a medium risk of community transmission.
People still need to stay home in their bubbles, other than for essential personal movements including going to work or school, if you have to, or for local recreation.
Social distancing is still required, along with mask wearing in indoor public venues like supermarkets, doctors clinics, pharmacies.
Household bubbles can expand to reconnect with close family/whānau, caregivers, or to support isolated people. This extended bubble must remain exclusive.
Businesses cannot have customers onsite, unless it’s an essential service, like a supermarket, but ‘click and collect’ services are allowed.
Click here(external link) for more details Alert Level 3 restrictions.
Meanwhile, 10,000 people were vaccinated at pop-up clinics at New Plymouth’s TSB Stadium and Hawera’s TSB Hub between Friday and Sunday.
In Taranaki, 60,000 people have had at least one jab.