New Zealand does not have to have zero new cases of Covid-19 each day to enter Alert Level 2, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a Facebook live tonight.
"It's not just numbers, so we don't have to have zero cases every day in order for us to move to Level 2," Ms Ardern said from Premier House.
"You don't have to see zero every single day for us to move."
It comes as Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield today announced no new or probable cases of coronavirus, and no new deaths.
The national total of Covid-19 cases remains at 1487, with the death toll at 20.
Ms Ardern added that there must be "some real consistency" around where coronavirus cases have come from.
She said people who have tested positive for coronavirus after returning to New Zealand from overseas, but are in quarantine, "means we've got good control of that and they're not passing it on to anyone else".
"That's really important.
"If we pick up cases where we can't tell the story of what's happened... that's more worrying."
New Zealand entered Alert Level 3 last week following more than a month under strict Level 4 lockdown restrictions, allowing more people to return to work and restaurants and cafes to open for takeaway and delivery.
Police prosecuted 112 people in one 24 hour over the weekend. (Source: Other)
Details about what Level 2 will look like will be revealed on Thursday, before Cabinet decides if New Zealand will move down from Alert Level 3 next Monday.
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