Auckland moves to Level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday

Despite moving to Alert Level 3 this week, the Prime Minister said you still can’t have people to visit, or allow kids to play with those outside their bubble.

Auckland will move to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday as planned, while the rest of the country will remain at Level 2. 

Auckland will be at Level 3 for at least two weeks, with the settings next reviewed on October 4. 

A "bespoke" lockdown requirement will be placed on the small area just south of Auckland in Whakatīwai, Waikato where Covid cases were reported. 

Auckland has been at Alert Level 4 since August 17.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement today, alongside Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 

"We are not stepping out of Level 4 because the job is done, but nor are we moving because we don't think we can achieve the goal of stamping out Covid-19," Ardern said.  

"Your bubbles remain," Ardern said. "I know this is strict and this is hard but it is there for a reason."

She said Cabinet made it mandatory for all masks to be worn in high schools under Level 3. 

Ardern said people who needed to travel across the border for personal reasons must now carry evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours. There was still an exemption process through the Ministry of Health.

Event limit restrictions are being relaxed for Level 2, with 100 people now allowed in indoor hospitality venues. 

On how Auckland could go to Level 2, Ardern said they wanted to be in a "situation where we were well contained".

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield

"At the moment we continue to see mystery cases that are cropping up through community testing. Rather than us getting out in front of those, we'd want to see a turnaround in some of those situations."

She said that posed some risk those individuals may have been infectious in the community.  

It comes as 22 new community cases were announced today, including the three cases in Whakatīwai, northern Waikato, on Sunday evening.

Ardern said there would be a "bespoke" Level 4 lockdown requirement around Whakatīwai, Waikato with a section 70 notice been put on an area around Mangatangi. Those people have to remain at home and monitor for symptoms.

All three were household members of a Mt Eden prisoner case on remand.

It was set from September 8 as that was possibly when one of the people who transported the prisoner on remand may have been infectious in the community.

The section 70 notice was initially for 5 days while there was testing and contact tracing.

"It could be shorter," Dr Bloomfield said. "We can just adjust it as we go if new information emerges."

Ardern said last week that Auckland would stay at Level 4 for an additional week, with an in-principle decision the city would move down to Level 3 on September 21.

Ardern also signalled that the rest of New Zealand was likely to remain at Alert Level 2 for as long as Auckland stayed at Level 3 or 4. 

An Alert Level 1 environment would only be considered with there being no risk of Covid community transmission - "when it's outside our border walls, not in it", she said at the time. 

She said that changes to Alert Level 2 could see an increase to indoor gathering numbers, should Auckland move to Alert Level 3. 

Auckland had been in full lockdown for 33 days. The rest of New Zealand has been in 'Delta' Level 2 since September 8.

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