Scroll down for a recap of 1News’ live updates on the Covid-19 situation across the country.
What you need to know:
- There are 194 Covid-19 cases and one new death to report ion the community today.
- All students across Auckland and the Waikato may return to the classroom from Wednesday.
- Fully-vaccinated people will be able to request their vaccine passes from Wednesday morning.
- The Auckland border is due to reopen on December 15.
**Recap of today's Covid-related events **
2.50pm: That concludes 1News' live coverage of the Covid-19 situation across the country.
2.37pm: National Party leader Judith Collins said in a statement that the Government's "bizarre and incomprehensible ‘plan’ will create a summer of chaos for all New Zealanders".
“Every week that goes by, Kiwis are being flooded with new, confused and contradictory messaging," she said.
“It was less than four weeks ago the Prime Minister announced the 90 per cent DHB target. Now it has been abandoned.
“It is clear that the DHB target was only ever about buying the Government time to get its vaccine certificate sorted."
2.36pm: A nurse at Waikato Hospital's ICU is among five new Covid-19 cases to report in the region today, a Waikato DHB spokesperson told 1News.
The nurse returned a positive test on Monday, November 15, and “immediately stood down from duties to isolate,” the spokesperson said.
“Two additional staff members were identified as close contacts and have been stood down. Both have been tested with results pending.”
In addition, one patient has been considered a contact and has been isolated. An initial test for the patient came back negative.
2.20pm: Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has welcomed the Government’s announcement that Aucklanders will be able to travel outside of the city from December 15.
“For Aucklanders who have lived under tough restrictions for over three months, the ability to reconnect with family and friends, conduct normal business across the country, and travel for their summer holidays, this is great news,” he said in a statement.
“Opening up the boundaries reinforces the need for those around the country to get vaccinated if they haven’t already done so. Those who are not vaccinated have a month to get both doses before the boundaries are lifted.”
Goff said today’s announcement “gives us the certainty of a path back to being able to live more normally” while ensuring the “transition will happen as safely as possible”.
2.15pm: An Air New Zealand spokesperson told 1News traffic on its website is up 250 per cent following the 1pm announcement.
2.13pm: There have been nine reports of assault against New Zealand Defence Force personnel posted to MIQ duties since the pandemic began, the National Party said.
“It’s bad enough that qualified personnel are understood to be leaving in droves, largely due to endless and thankless duties watching hotel doors. But it’s even worse that the MIQ environment is proving increasingly hostile, including in a physical sense,” National Party Defence Spokesperson Chris Penk said in a statement.
“National can reveal that there have been no fewer than 9 different reported incidents of assault against NZDF personnel, according to official statistics, and anecdotally many more concerning incidents.
"Our military personnel are going above and beyond the usual call of duty by serving in the MIQ system. They deserve much better than this."
2.05pm: A Covid-19 case has been detected in the community in Christchurch.
The Health Ministry said the person had a "clear link" to Auckland, which is at the centre of the Delta outbreak.
They had travelled to Auckland for an event, before flying home on flight NZ1295 on Saturday, November 13.
They became symptomatic the following day. The case went for a test on Monday, which subsequently came back positive.
READ MORE: New Christchurch Covid case recently travelled to Auckland
1.52pm: "Auckland has done incredibly well for what will be going on four months to maintain that border and to reduce and slow the spread of Covid but it was never intended to be part of the long-term management of Covid-19," Ardern said.
1.45pm: Ardern confirmed no region in the country will move to the new traffic light system at 'green'.
1.36pm: The Prime Minister said today's announcement was not an admission of failure to get all DHBs to 90 per cent double-vaccinated.
"We have high confidence that there will be a number of DHBs who will be in that 90 per cent space," Ardern said.
"We have to balance, of course, against those high rates of vaccination, the need to also use the extra protection that this new framework provides."
1.32pm: The testing requirement for those looking to travel across the country will not apply to children under the age of 12, Ardern confirmed.
1.22pm: University of Otago professor Michael Baker has revealed his thoughts ahead of today's announcements.
The epidemiologist reiterated the importance of high vaccination rates. (Source: 1News)
1.19pm: Covid-19 has been detected in wastewater samples collected in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui on November 15. It follows positive detections from samples collected on November 10 and 11, the Ministry of Health said.
Covid-19 was also detected in samples collected in Taupô on November 13 and 15, and in Tûrangi on November 15.
A sample collected in Masterton on November 15 was negative.
1.10pm: Cabinet will meet to confirm on November 29 when Auckland will move to the new traffic light system at 'red', Ardern said.
Cabinet will also confirm that the rest of the country will move to the same framework at the same time.
It will also look to confirm if parts of the country with lower vaccination rates will also move to the traffic light system at red in a bid to boost vaccination levels.
READ MORE: New Zealand to move into the traffic light system before Christmas
1.07pm: Auckland boundary settings will change from December 15 to allow all vaccinated people or provide a negative test within 72 hours of departure to travel across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at the 1pm Covid-19 media conference.
She says with 82 per cent of New Zealanders fully vaccinated compared to 23 per cent three months ago, the country is better prepared to allow for travel.
The requirement will be in place for the core summer period between December 15 and January 17 next year.
READ MORE: Covid-19: Auckland border restrictions to end on Dec 15
1.03pm: There are 194 new Covid-19 cases and one new death to report in the community, the Ministry of Health said in a written statement ahead of the Covid-19 media conference.
The man, in his 60s, was admitted to North Shore Hospital on November 4 with Covid symptoms, where he later tested positive.
He died yesterday.
"Our thoughts are with his family and whanau at this deeply sad time. The whanâu has been offered support by the DHB."
READ MORE: 194 new Covid-19 community cases in NZ
12.50pm: The ACT Party has criticised the Government over the lack of clarity around whether or not pulse oximeters are being issued to everyone in home isolation with Covid-19.
“It’s not good enough for the Government not to be able answer basic questions and it’s not good enough to hide behind privacy when questions are raised about the people who have died," ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said in a statement.
"We should know whether or not they were issued with this equipment."
12.04pm: The Māori Party has on Wednesday released their Covid-19 Pandemic Response Policy.
It includes the establishment of an independent statutory Māori Pandemic Response Group; the scrapping of vaccine mandates; investing in holistic wellbeing; and keeping our international borders closed until Māori vaccination rates hit 95 per cent.
12pm: The Māori Party has likened the Government's "blatant willingness to ignore Māori health expert advice" to "committing us to bureaucratic genocide".
“From the outset, the Government has failed to provide equitable opportunities for Māori to access information, resources and vaccinations," co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said in a statement.
"In fact they have actively blocked our efforts to protect our communities. I have witnessed the gaps with my very own eyes."
READ MORE: Te Pāti Māori want vaccine mandates abolished
11.56am: Air New Zealand has added a large number of flights for Monday, December 6.
On December 5 there is one flight from Auckland to Wellington, followed by 10 the next day - a possible indication the airline has received a heads-up on when travel may resume.
11.29am: National MP Chris Bishop said on Twitter that the Ministry of Health is “developing new metrics for home isolation”.
“Current target is 80% of new cases for isolation at home contacted by health within 24 hours (contact being a phone call),” he said.
Bishop said in an earlier tweet that not everyone in home isolation receives a pulse oximeter, which checks a person's oxygen levels and heart rate.
11.22am: Further information on how to sign up for My Covid Record can be found here.
11.07am: Documents released under the Official Information Act reveal no plan was presented to Cabinet detailing the need to prioritise vaccination for all South Aucklanders, despite public advice from a range of health experts calling for this approach.
READ MORE: Priority vaccines for South Auckland overlooked, documents reveal
10.57am: National leader Judith Collins is calling for the reopening of domestic borders so Kiwis can "get on with life".
Auckland has been in Alert Level 4 or Level 3 lockdown since mid-August.
Collins said there needs to be an end in sight for those in the region.
The nation will find out on Wednesday when Auckland's border will open. (Source: Breakfast)
"If we don't have a date in mind, if we don't have a freedom day date in mind, then we're just going to continue meandering around not getting those vaccines for Māori up and it's specifically Māori that ... the rates are down," she told Breakfast.
READ MORE: Auckland border needs to open so Kiwis can 'get on with life' - Collins
10.48am: "People can log in from later this morning, but we’re asking for patience and for people to wait for a couple of days to ease any demand on the IT system and call centre staff," Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.
10.20am: Double-vaccinated people can request their vaccine pass from Wednesday morning.
The pass will provide Kiwis with greater freedoms ahead of summer.
The passes will be available to those who’ve had two doses of the vaccine. (Source: Breakfast)
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