COVID-19 ALERT LEVEL UPDATE
From 11:59pm tonight, Auckland moves to Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2. The measures will remain in place for three days until midnight Wednesday.

They will be reviewed on a 24-hour basis and we will provide regular updates. This is a response to the latest community outbreak in Auckland which is currently under investigation. We don’t yet have a complete picture of the potential source of the infection and spread.

Accordingly, we have chosen to respond with a high degree of caution because of the possibility that this might be one of the new more transmissible strains of COVID-19.

Three days will give us time to gather further information on the source, and undertake further testing, as well as breaking any chains of transmission if the virus is present wider in the community.

We have planned for the likelihood of further community outbreaks and have activated our national resurgence plan. We have stamped out the virus before and we can do it again.

AUCKLAND ADVICE
We are asking that people in Auckland stay home, and work and study from home if possible.
Travel in and out of Auckland is restricted to essential travel only - otherwise you must stay in the region.

If you must leave home, keep a 2-metre distance from others and wear a face covering if possible. If you are an Aucklander, you can travel to Auckland to return home. But you should not travel out of the region unless you have to.

This is vital to us getting on top of the situation.
Please follow instructions from public health officials, and if asked to get a test or self-isolate please do so. If you have symptoms, get tested. It is free. Call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116 for advice.

Children should learn at home if possible. Early learning centres and schools in Auckland are open for children whose parents have to go to work and have no care giver arrangements, particularly essential workers.

Businesses can open, but cannot offer services that involve close personal contact, unless it is a supermarket, primary produce retailer, pharmacy, petrol station, or hardware store providing goods to trade customers, or if it is an emergency or critical situation.

Public venues must close. This includes libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, playgrounds and markets.
Gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed for wedding services, funerals, and tangihanga only. Physical distancing must be maintained.

Please see our website for reminders on life at Alert Level 3: https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-3/
REST OF NEW ZEALAND
The rest of New Zealand needs to remain vigilant.

This means stay home if you’re sick or vulnerable, wash your hands regularly and well, and use the NZ COVID Tracer app by scanning QR codes and keeping your Bluetooth turned on in the app, or sign in if you can’t use the app.

Businesses and schools remain open but public health guidance including physical distancing and record keeping need to be maintained.
Hospitality businesses must keep groups of customers separated, seated, and served by a single person with a maximum of 100 people at a time.

Mass gatherings will need to be limited to 100 people. Gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed for wedding services, funerals, and tangihanga.
Keep physical distancing of 2 metres from people you don’t know when out in public.

Keep 1 metre physical distancing in controlled environments like workplaces, where practical. Wear a mask or a face covering if physical distancing is difficult.
Please see our website for reminders on life at Alert Level 2: https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-2/

Testing centres across Auckland reported strong demand for testing this afternoon. All testing locations in Auckland are available on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website https://www.arphs.health.nz/public-health-topics/covid-19/where-to-get-tested/ on Healthpoint and at https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/covid-19/covid-19-testing/

It’s important the right people can get access to testing so please don’t rush to a centre if you are well or if you weren’t at one of the locations of interest. We are anticipating high demand at our testing sites and delays are possible, so our request is to please be patient.

If you have symptoms but have not been to a location of interest stay home and call Healthline for advice.