Covid-19 Delta outbreak day 20: How it unfolded

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at today’s post-cabinet briefing that New Zealand, outside of Auckland, will move to alert level 2 from 11.59pm Tuesday 7 September.

Auckland will stay in level 4 until 11.59pm next Tuesday, 14 September.

Cabinet will review the alert level settings for all of New Zealand next Monday, 13 September.

Lockdown Day 20 by the numbers:
There are 20 new cases, all in Auckland
16 are linked to previously known cases and four are not
40 people with Covid-19 in hospital, six people are in intensive care
There are now 821 community cases – 804 in Auckland, and 17 in Wellington
Three new cases identified in managed isolation and quarantine
Meanwhile, the government revealed Delta alert level 2 looks different and settings have been changed.

Indoor hospitality venues will have a limit of 50, outdoor venues will have a limit of 100 people.

Indoor public facilities like gyms, which did not previously have limits on people inside and required one-metre distancing, will require two meter distancing.

Ardern also announced that face coverings are now mandatory at level 2 in most public venues.

People can remove their mask in venues like restaurants and cafes but staff at public facing businesses must wear face coverings, Ardern said.

“To keep it really simple, if you’re out and about at indoor venues, please wear a mask.”

Masks are “our new normal” at level 2, she said.

Ardern says that masks are not being mandated in schools, and Bloomfield says it is “recommended, but not required”.

Auckland testing drop causes concern
Auckland has been put on notice – get testing if you want to get out of level 4.

But Covid-19 swabbing numbers have been falling so fast in the city, some centres closed early at the weekend.

There were just 2592 tests in Auckland on Saturday, a tenth of the number some days early in the lockdown.

Ministry of Health said it wanted to see about 7000 tests a day to keep an eye out for any undetected Covid-19 cases that could cause the outbreak to keep going.

So far in Auckland that was not happening.

Te Whānau o Waipareira chief executive John Tamihere said one of its west Auckland centres closed at 1pm yesterday because there was no one to test.