The Prime Minister has announced Auckland's phased 'roadmap' to easing Covid-19 restrictions, starting from 11.59pm Tuesday.
"Auckland will remain in Alert Level 3 but several key changes will occur," she said at the post-Cabinet address.
"Today, based on public health advice, Cabinet confirmed its plan to transition Auckland out of current restrictions carefully and methodically, with regular check-ins to ensure we’re continuing to actively control the virus.
"Cabinet will review each step weekly to ensure it’s safe to move before confirming the next step."
Phase 1, from 11.59pm, October 5:
- Outdoor catch-ups with one other household allowed at a limit of 10, with masks to be worn when not eating and distanced while eating.
- Each household is permitted to meet with one different household or bubble, up to 10 people, but record-keeping for contact-tracing purposes is encouraged.
- ECE reopening with bubbles of 10, teachers to get tested.
- Recreation allowed, with activities such as going to the beach, bowls and hunting allowed as long as it is outside and at a 10 person maximum.
Phase 2, starting date not yet announced:
- Retail opens, with physical distance and masks to be worn. Cafes and food courts inside businesses able to operate for takeaway only.
- Libraries, museums, pools and zoos able to open.
- Outdoor catch ups and funerals, tangi and weddings increased to 25 people.
Phase 3, starting date not yet announced:
- Hospitality opens with a 50 person limit.
- Hairdressers open.
- Indoor and outdoor social gatherings increase to 50 people.
On October 18, pending public health advice, schools will reopen for all students.
Ardern said at the conclusion of the steps, "we will then move to a national framework that reflects a more highly vaccinated population, allowing us the ability to deal with riskier settings such as large-scale events with the use of vaccine certificates".
"Cabinet also agreed the rest of New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 2 to continue to support Auckland to do the heavy lifting, but the 100 limit cap on hospitality venues is removed."
Customers still need to be seated and separated.
At the conclusion of the three stages, Auckland would likely move to a vaccination framework and people can use vaccine certificates, Ardern said.
"This is our best pathway back to gatherings."
The role of the regional boundary around Auckland will be "continually monitored".
Ardern said the phases would not extend to the Waikato areas that are in Level 3 for at least five days.
The wage subsidy will continue under all three stages.
28 of the new cases are in Auckland, and one in Waikato, the Director-General of Health said.
Jacinda Ardern told Breakfast on Monday morning the Government was considering ways to "make life a little easier in Auckland".
Aucklanders have been in either Level 4 or Level 3 since late on August 17 when one case of the Delta variant was detected.
Over 1300 people have been infected since.
Hamilton and parts of Waikato were plunged back into Level 3 for at least five days late on Sunday, after cases were found in Hamilton and Raglan.
Twenty-nine new Covid-19 cases were reported on Monday as infections struggle to trend downwards.
She has said a high vaccination rate is the best way of allowing restrictions to ease.
Ardern said last Thursday there would be a high likelihood the Auckland boundary would remain in place around the city, regardless of what the alert level was .
Since then, another person tested positive for Covid-19 at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital on Friday night, an Auckland truck driver travelled to Palmerston North for work and tested positive for Covid , two people tested positive in the Waikato , and Hamilton and parts of Waikato were moved into Level 3 for five days .
A person turned up at Auckland City Hospital's emergency department for a non-Covid-19 related matter on Sunday also tested positive for the virus , while a parent in the NICU unit at that hospital, and a newborn at North Shore Hospital, have also been infected.
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