Cabinet reviewing NZ's alert levels Monday, while Auckland stays at L4

Cabinet will meet tomorrow to decide if New Zealand, outside Auckland, will move alert levels.

Cabinet will review the Alert Level 3 settings for the country outside Auckland on Monday. 

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson set out what is needed for the rest of the New Zealand to move down alert levels, with the possibility remaining there could be changes seen at Alert Level 2 to account for the highly transmissible Delta strain. 

Cabinet will meet Monday, September 6 to review the current settings for New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will then hold a media conference in the afternoon to reveal details of the decision. 

Auckland is remaining in full lockdown at Level 4, with Cabinet to meet on September 13 to look at the next steps for the city's alert levels.

Robertson said earlier in the week that Monday's decision will be made using the latest public health advice, "but obviously we will continue to look for the things we always look for when we're debating alert level decisions". 

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 14: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a press conference on August 14, 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand. Cabinet has decided to maintain New Zealand's current COVID-19 restrictions for another 12 days following the discovery of a new coronavirus cluster in Auckland. Auckland will remain at Level 3 lockdown restrictions, while the rest of New Zealand will stay at Level 2. The restrictions will be in place until 11:59pm Wednesday 26 August, with Cabinet to review those settings on 21 August.  (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

"That is the absence of cases, the absence of waste positive wastewater testing, making sure all those contacts who had further testing to be done, that testing has been done. 

"These are the things we'll always look for and then Cabinet will take its decision from there. 

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said on Sunday that officials has been working on advice since Saturday. 

"Just as we gave advice around strengthened Alert Level 3 arrangements, we have come up with some additional advice around strengthen Alert Level 2 arrangements," Dr Bloomfield said. 

"If there was to be, and it's feasible, an Alert Level 4-2 boundary, arguably that boundary should be even tighter than it is under an Alert Level 4-3 boundary.

"We're just working through what that might mean in terms of putting it into operation."

On how quick levels could change if Cabinet decides, Robertson said, "we normally give a little bit of notice for a decision like that, but we would do this quickly as we could". 

When asked on Friday if Level 2 restrictions could be different in light of the Delta variant, Robertson said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield "may be looking at some modifications to Level 2" in his advice to Cabinet, should Level 2 be an option. 

"We haven't had that advice yet from Dr Bloomfield but I think that's a signal that in the Delta environment we need to look again of all elements of the alert level framework," Robertson said.  

"I know that when the advice comes forward to us at Cabinet on Monday, if it includes advice to lower anywhere in New Zealand to Alert Level 2, there'll be some consideration as to what changes might be needed."

National's Judith Collins on Friday wanted the South Island to immediately drop to Level 2.

"It doesn’t make sense that the South Island, despite being Covid-free, should be subject to level 3 restrictions - effectively the same as level 4, but with takeaways.

"There hasn’t been a positive case of Covid in the South Island for almost a year," Collins said. 

"South Island people and businesses are being put under unnecessary stress for no good reason."

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