New Zealand will keep the same alert level 1 settings it's always had once the country is ready to shift back down, despite the threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
Auckland has been in a level 4 lockdown for just over four weeks, while the rest of New Zealand has recently shifted down to level 2. Cabinet will confirm on Monday whether its in-principle decision to move the super city to level 3 will go ahead.
If this happens, Ardern says an increase in the number of people who can gather together, including at hospitality venues, will be considered. She anticipates this would be lifted to 100 people. This only applies to the rest of the country while it's in level 2, not for Auckland in level 3.
"Essentially, as Auckland moves down, the rest of New Zealand can ease a little too whilst remaining on high alert."
New Zealand's alert levels changed slightly during this outbreak to adapt to the more infectious Delta variant. At level 2, this includes mandatory mask-wearing in most public venues, indoor hospitality venues are limited to 50 people, outdoor venues are capped at 100 people, and an expectation that people will scan in with the COVID Tracer app.
Ardern says these changes were made to "reflect the risk" the country faces with Delta. After Cabinet considered the settings at level 1 and received advice from Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, it was decided that those settings would remain the same.
"At this level, we are prepared, and prepared means, of course, we scan in, we wear masks in high-density places where it's hard to contact trace like busses, but we don't have COVID in the community, and so we otherwise have pretty normal lives," she says.
"That remains the objective of alert level 1 and we don't believe it needs to change, even with Delta. But the most important consideration here is that alert level 1 has always been for an environment where there is no risk of community transmission, where COVID, or indeed Delta, doesn't present a risk. When it's outside our border walls, not in it."
Dr Bloomfield said alert level 1 will mean New Zealanders can enjoy the freedoms they've had for much of the pandemic.
"Of course, what we're now thinking about is when we go back to enjoying all the freedoms we've had, and as we get our vaccination rates up, what the other measures are we might need - not just in the community but also at the border," he says.
But while Auckland is in level 4 or 3, a "greater level of preparedness" is needed in New Zealand - but this won't be the case forever, Ardern says. As the city moves down levels, restrictions will loosen around the rest of the country.
"Right now while Auckland is at alert level 4, the rest of New Zealand is in a very high-level state of precaution. We entered in on the top rung of Delta alert level 2. We do not believe the rest of New Zealand will necessarily stay on the top rung," she says.
As vaccination rates rise in New Zealand, that will also become part of the alert level tool kit, she adds, and this will be integrated into the system.
Since the start of this recent outbreak, there has been a total of 996 cases. Seventeen of these have been in Wellington and 979 in Auckland. Daily case numbers have been dropping slowly, with just 13 reported on Thursday.
