Seven people have been granted compassionate exemptions to leave managed isolation early in a newly revamped system introduced by the Government.
It comes after the exemptions were put on hold when two women tested positive for the virus after leaving a managed isolation facility following the death of a relative in mid-June.
At a briefing today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said compassionate exemptions had restarted under strict new guidelines.
Ms Woods says in the last week seven people have been granted exemptions.
They will only be given under "exceptional circumstances" she says.
With isolation facilities nearly reaching capacity, Ms Woods ruled out Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill as locations for new facilities.
"Over the last month we have been working hard on the demand side of our system in order to create a predictable and manageable flow of returning New Zealanders," Air Commodore Darryn Webb said at the briefing.
Airlines will now be given a 14-day "rolling average" of Kiwis allowed on flights home in order to not overload isolation facilities.
"This will give airlines the maximum ability to manage public demand around operational planning requirements," Commodore Webb said.
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