Auckland will stay in full lockdown at Alert Level 4 for at least another two weeks, while it is intended Northland will move to Alert Level 3 on Thursday evening at 11:59pm.
Auckland's Alert Level will next be reviewed on September 13.
It comes as the rest of the country is set to move to Alert Level 3 tomorrow evening at 11:59pm.
Jacinda Ardern updated NZ’s alert level settings on August 30, including confirming the rest of NZ will move late tomorrow. (Source: Other)
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement today, alongside Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Ardern said Northland's Alert Level move was dependent on wastewater tests due Thursday and test results from contacts.
"Level 4 is making a difference," Ardern said. "But the job is not yet done and we need to keep going."
She confirmed tomorrow's Alert Level 3 change would take place tomorrow for New Zealand south of the Auckland border. Ardern said they hoped to keep lowering restrictions when it was safe to do so.
Cabinet met to review Auckland and Northland's alert level settings, after Ardern said on Friday it was likely Auckland would remain in full lockdown for a further two weeks to get Delta under control.
She said Northland was included in the full lockdown extension due to a recent case in Warkworth.
The rest of New Zealand will move to Level 3 tomorrow evening after being in full lockdown for two weeks. The Alert Level 3 settings for the rest of New Zealand would next be reviewed on September 6.
It comes as New Zealand reported 53 new community cases today, all in Auckland, bringing the total number of active cases in the community outbreak to 562.
A case today has been referred to the Coroner after Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring board after it considered that a woman’s death was probably due to myocarditis, a rare side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
The Ministry of Health said the board considered myocarditis was "probably due to vaccination… (noting) that there were other medical issues occurring at the same time which may have influenced the outcome following vaccination".
The Ministry of Health said a study in Israel indicated Covid-19 infections increased the risk of developing myocarditis by a factor of 18, while the vaccine increased the risk of developing myocarditis by a factor of three.
The Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring Chair Dr John Tait said the Pfizer vaccine was "highly effective in protecting against serious illness and death from Covid-19, and we remain confident about using it in New Zealand".
SHARE ME