New Zealand will move to the orange traffic light setting from 11:59pm on Wednesday night.
What you need to know:
- New Zealand recorded 9,495 new community COVID cases on Wednesday.
- Fifteen additional deaths of people with COVID-19 were reported.
- Location of community cases: Northland (455), Auckland (1,828), Waikato (718), Bay of Plenty (421), Lakes (176), Hawke’s Bay (355), MidCentral (461), Whanganui (181), Taranaki (288), Tairāwhiti (84), Wairarapa (109), Capital and Coast (607), Hutt Valley (375), Nelson Marlborough (307), Canterbury (1,670), South Canterbury (208), Southern (1,148), West Coast (94), Unknown (10)
- There are 551 people in hospitals, including 27 in ICU.
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 31; Waitemata: 91; Counties Manukau: 92; Auckland: 80; Waikato: 57; Bay of Plenty: 24; Lakes: 4; Tairāwhiti: 2; Hawke’s Bay: 12; Taranaki: 12; Whanganui: 5; MidCentral: 19; Wairarapa: 1; Hutt Valley: 26; Capital and Coast: 14; Nelson Marlborough: 10; Canterbury: 38; South Canterbury: 6; West Coast: 1; Southern: 26
These live updates are now over.
1:30pm - It's been a confusing press conference with regards to face mask rules, so here is where face masks are required at orange, according to the COVID website:
Hipkins has apologised for not refreshing his memory about face masks before coming to the press conference.
1:25pm - Auckland's Heart of the City is welcoming the move to orange. Here's what it has to say following the announcement:
The news of a shift to Orange tonight is great news for Auckland’s city centre – signalling the welcome return of major indoor events, dancing and importantly more workers back to the city centre. To celebrate, Heart of the City will be hitting the streets to reconnect city centre workers with their favourite “work locals” by handing out hundreds of vouchers for free coffees and lunches on the first few days after Easter.
Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck says that “The move to Orange this time around, along with the borders reopening, is significant. This is a major relief after two years at the epicentre of the pandemic. Things have started to look up over the last few weeks, with an increase in foot traffic and spending – but with the numbers still down significantly on last year, Orange will bring an injection of people back into the city centre.”
There are a number of initiatives planned over the coming months to encourage people back into the city centre. Creative and vibrant city environments with lots on are reasons for people to want to be back in their office workplaces – as are the obvious benefits coming from the water cooler conversations, learning from colleagues, and the long overdue team lunches.
"It has been great to see more people around recently and to get positive news from some major firms that they are bringing their teams back to the city centre and creating some excitement around this. Having more of our strong 130,000+ workforce back here brings obvious benefits to our customer facing businesses, as well as the buzz from having more people here, we’ve really missed them."
Beck says that "We want to remind people of those great places for a morning coffee. Handing out vouchers is a small gesture but it signifies something much more important - small purchases such as a coffee can all add up to make a difference for businesses that have had an extraordinarily hard time over the last few years. We also hope it reminds people of the great places they’ve been missing."
Half price public transport is also perfectly timed for workers to be returning to the city centre.
1:20pm - Here's the full statement from Hipkins:
Kiwis will be able to enjoy the long weekend with greater freedoms across the country from 11:59pm on Wednesday as New Zealand moves to Orange, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today.
"The revised COVID-19 Protection Framework we introduced three weeks ago has effectively managed the Omicron outbreak at Red," Chris Hipkins said.
"Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a sustained reduction in cases and hospitalisations despite the relaxation of settings, so we’re confident a move to Orange can lock in those gains while helping the country return to a greater degree of normality.
"Under Orange there are no indoor capacity limits and the seated and separated rule for hospitality venues lifts, so bars, cafes and restaurants are able to fill up again.
"Wearing a face mask at Orange is still important, especially with capacity limits removed. People are required to wear a face mask in many indoor settings. Next to being vaccinated and having a booster, face masks are our main defence against COVID-19 at Orange.
"We know this shift down to Orange will be welcome news to many as we head into Easter weekend and the school holidays and connect with loved ones.
"But there is still Omicron in the community, and the threat of new variants arriving here is still risk, so I urge everyone to continue to be cautious and think about the health of others, especially those who are immunocompromised or at higher risk of long-term health impacts from infection.
"It’s also important to make a plan in case you get COVID-19 on holiday. If you’re not using your own vehicle to travel – such as being reliant on airplane or public transport - you need to make sure you can isolate where you are," Chris Hipkins said.
1:15pm - It won't be justified in all cases to require face masks in schools, Hipkins says. That will now be optional for schools.
One of the factors that informed the decision to move from midnight Wednesday, rather than midnight Thursday, is that hospitality businesses can't trade over the Easter period, Hipkins says. By loosening the rules on Wednesday, it provides more time at orange.
1:10pm - New Zealand will move to orange at 11:59pm on Wednesday night.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins tells reporters that despite loosening restrictions, there have been positive improvements in the Omicron outbreak. The seven-day rolling average of cases has declined to below 10,000 and hospitalisations are trending down, the minister says.
He says the move to orange is in time for the Easter weekend and school holidays.
While face masks are not required in most settings, they continue to be encouraged as they do significantly reduce the chance of transmission, Hipkins says. Isolation rules remain the same.
Traffic light settings will be reviewed again in mid-May. Ministers will take into account the chances of COVID-19 spiking again over winter as well as influenza when making future decisions.
1:05pm - There are 9495 new community cases, 551 hospitalisations 15 further deaths to report, the Ministry of Health says.
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,026,036 first doses; 3,976,331 second doses; 31,616 third primary doses; 2,608,343 booster doses: 260,286 paediatric first doses and 102,204 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 52 first doses; 166 second doses; 26 third primary doses; 1,708 booster doses; 66 paediatric first doses and 752 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,055,904 first dose (96.4%); 4,005,591 second dose (95.2%), 2,605,568 boosted (71.7% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,723 first dose (91.2%); 503,611 second dose (88.2%), 232,146 boosted (56.2% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,701 first dose (98.3%); 276,735 second dose (96.5%), 138,408 boosted (58% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 257,918 first dose (54.2%); 99,903 second dose (21%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 40,630 first dose (35.2%); 11,386 second dose (9.9%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,381 first dose (47.3%); 5,500 second dose (11.1%)
Note that the number for “People vaccinated” differs slightly from “Vaccines administered” as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas.
Vaccination rates for all DHBs*
- Northland DHB: first dose (90.1%); second dose (88%); boosted (68.7%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.2%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.2%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (67.3%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.4%); boosted (66.9%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (67.4%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (73.1%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91%); boosted (66.8%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (91.9%); second dose (90.4%); boosted (72.5%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.1%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (70.8%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.6%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (69%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95%); boosted (73.8%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (80.1%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.6%); second dose (95.7%); boosted (75.9%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (74.3%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (92.6%); second dose (91.2%); boosted (72.6%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.7%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (75.2%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.8%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (75.5%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.4%); boosted (73.9%)
*Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose
Percentages are based on 2020 HSU data - a health-specific population denominator. As the population continues to change over time, coverage rates can exceed 100%.
Hospitalisations
- Cases in hospital: total number 551: Northland: 31; Waitemata: 91; Counties Manukau: 92; Auckland: 80; Waikato: 57; Bay of Plenty: 24; Lakes: 4; Tairāwhiti: 2; Hawke’s Bay: 12; Taranaki: 12; Whanganui: 5; MidCentral: 19; Wairarapa: 1; Hutt Valley: 26; Capital and Coast: 14; Nelson Marlborough: 10; Canterbury: 38; South Canterbury: 6; West Coast: 1; Southern: 26
- *Average age of current hospitalisations: 58
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 27
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (57 cases / 20%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (11 cases / 4%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (85 cases / 30%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (128 cases / 44%); unknown (7 cases / 2%)
*Please note the average age of current hospitalisations is for the Northern Region admissions only at this stage. This data is recorded and extracted from the same source as the vaccination status of patients in Northern Region hospitals.
We are currently working on a data solution which would include the average age of current hospitalisations from additional DHBs.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 9,288
- Seven day rolling average (as at same day last week): 12,307
- Number of new community cases: 9,495
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 219
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 9,276
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (455), Auckland (1,828), Waikato (718), Bay of Plenty (421), Lakes (176), Hawke’s Bay (355), MidCentral (461), Whanganui (181), Taranaki (288), Tairāwhiti (84), Wairarapa (109), Capital and Coast (607), Hutt Valley (375), Nelson Marlborough (307), Canterbury (1,670), South Canterbury (208), Southern (1,148), West Coast (94), Unknown (10)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 47
- Number of active community cases (total): 64,997 (cases identified in the past 7 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 793,740
Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.
Tests
- Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 2,814
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 15,547
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 2,249
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 8 April 2022): 3.3 million
12:55pm - The livestream is now in the video component above. Refresh your page if you can't see it. The press conference will start around 1pm.
12:50pm - The preliminary results of a study by Victoria University show many people who caught COVID-19 did not feel they got the healthcare they needed to cope with the illness.
"So far, results suggest people with COVID-19 require more healthcare and social service support, and that many did not receive the support they needed to manage their illness," says Dr Mona Jeffreys, co-leader of the study.
Nearly 900 people have participated in the research so far, with 400 completing a series of four surveys about their experience of the illness. One in five survey respondents reported barriers to seeing their GP, mainly due to appointment availability and cost, Dr Jeffreys says.
"These barriers were more likely to be faced by those who were sick for longer than a month.
"Results suggest many people needed a high level of support from their GP while they were sick, with 40 percent seeing their doctor four or more times.
Many respondents also reported needing better access to mental health support.
"Twenty-nine percent said they did not get mental health support but would have found this useful. Women were twice as likely as men to say this would have helped," she says.
A significant proportion of respondents provided suggestions for other services that would have been useful while they were ill. These suggestions included:
- delivery of food parcels (21 percent of respondents)
- help with collecting prescriptions (18 percent)
- help with accommodation (14 percent)
- support to keep working (12 percent).
- help with applying for Work and Income support (11 percent)
- childcare assistance (6 percent).
12:45pm - The hospitality industry wants the Government to move New Zealand out of the red traffic light setting before Easter .
After eight months in the red traffic light setting, bars and restaurants are calling on the government to put the country in orange.
Bedford Soda and Liquor Co-owner Matt Nicholls is "very hopeful" the government will put the country at orange on Wednesday as it has been a long time since the country was put into the red traffic light setting, making it difficult to serve patrons.
"In red a typical bar environment where you just walk up to the bar and grab yourself a drink, people haven't been able to do that for a really long time and a lot of bar models are designed so you do walk up to the bar and not provide table service."
12:35pm - National leader Christopher Luxon is hitting out at the Government's COVID-19 response, saying there's no longer any need for the traffic light system.
Luxon's comments come ahead of the Government review of the country's settings on Wednesday afternoon. All of New Zealand is currently at the red setting, which was recently tweaked to drop outdoor gathering limits and mask requirements.
Indoors there are still restrictions, such as wearing masks and remaining seated and separated at hospitality venues. Indoor gathering limits also increased from 100 to 200.
Additionally, vaccine passes were phased out on April 4 and mandates were removed for all sectors except health, disability and aged care workers, as well as prison and border staff.
12:30pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates for Wednesday.
Kiwis are about to find out if New Zealand is moving to the orange traffic light setting. It is also possible the Government may decide to shift only a number of regions to orange and keep the others at red.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins will have the decision at 1pm.
