Seven Auckland suburbs will be the focus of testing and contact tracing this week as health officials try to crack the mystery COVID-19 cases likely to keep the city at level 4.
The government says it won't make a decision on the city's alert levels until it has all the information in front of it at Cabinet today but most experts expect there will be no move to level 3.
Health officials are on the hunt for the virus in Mt Eden, Massey, Māngere, Favona, Papatoetoe, Ōtara and Manurewa.
That was where they had the biggest concerns about the 34 cases with no known links to the current clusters.
Auckland councillor for Manukau, Alf Filipaina, has four of the suburbs in his patch.
People were nervous, he said.
"They're feeling anxious because we've been in lockdown now since the 17th of August," he said.
People were keen to do what it took to get out of level 4, he said.
He supported the increased testing - and wanted more vaccinations too.
Health authorities had already been surveillance testing - looking for the virus in asymptomatic people rather than waiting for it to turn up when people get sick.
Last week they were at essential workplaces, including Countdown's distribution centre and its two big warehouses for online deliveries.
Auckland University public health lecturer Colin Tukuitonga said the testing should also include supermarket customers in the areas of interest because that is one place where a lot of people go at alert level 4.
