Auckland will move to Covid-19 Alert Level 3 at 11:59pm on Tuesday, September 21.
It will stay there for at least two weeks. The settings will be reviewed on October 4.
The area around Whakatīwai, where three people have tested positive for Covid-19, will go into a Level 4 lockdown until Friday.
Anyone who visited Upper Hauraki north of State Highway 2 around Mangatangi from September 8, but doesn't live there, also needs to stay home in Level 4 conditions. The restricted area is within the blue line in the map below.
The rest of New Zealand will remain at Delta Level 2, although the gathering size limit will be lifted from 50 to 100 people.
Cabinet made the decision following the Ministry of Health announcing 22 new cases in the community on Monday, including three cases in Whakatīwai.
Of the 22 cases, five are unlinked. Three of the five are from one family.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Level 3 reflects a continuation of the Government taking a "stamp it out" approach.
She advised over-65s in Auckland to stay home until they're vaccinated.
She said Cabinet also decided to make mask-wearing in indoor areas at high schools mandatory in Level 3.
Director-General of Health Bloomfield expected 90% of eligible Aucklanders to have received their first vaccine by early October.
Cabinet's alert level decisions align with advice provided by Bloomfield.
REACTION
Te Pūnaha Matatini and University of Canterbury Professor Michael Plank:
"Moving Auckland to Level 3 on Tuesday night is a calculated risk. Although the majority of the cluster has been controlled and most new cases are household members or known contacts, we are still seeing some stubborn spread between households that is proving difficult to stamp out.
"There is a danger that the increased number of people out in the community and the workplace at Level 3 will add fuel to a smouldering fire and lead to an increase in cases.
"Contact tracers are finding that most new cases are not being infected in essential workplaces or services, but via extended family or friends. This means that some increase in the number of workplaces and services operating at Level 3 may a relatively low-risk way to relax the lockdown, provided they carefully follow the appropriate procedures.
"But, it also means it’s absolutely crucial that people continue to stick to their bubble and don’t take Level 3 as a signal that it’s OK to meet up with family and friends.
"If people do this, there is still a good chance this outbreak could be eliminated under Level 3. But we will need to keep a close eye on cases and for signs that the virus is spreading between households.
"If the outbreak starts to gather steam, it may yet be necessary to tighten restrictions again. An uncontrolled outbreak still has the potential to rapidly overwhelm our health system.
"Once vaccination rates are higher this threat will start to recede, but we are still months away from getting everyone fully vaccinated."
Victoria University School of Psychology Professor Marc Wilson:
"I think the alert level change is a good thing, or at least the best thing to do right now. That's to say, we're hearing a little about Level 4 'fatigue', and about now is when I think it might be a good idea to drop to Level 3 – which is closer to Level 4, than 2 – to provide people with a breather.
"This may NOT be the right thing to contain the virus, however.”
ACT leader David Seymour:
“Everything Jacinda Ardern based today’s decision on was true two weeks ago, the only thing that’s changed is politics.
“Two weeks ago, there were about 20 cases each day, most new cases were within households, but a few new cases popped up to keep the outbreak burbling along.
“Very little new transmission was through the workplace and a lot more business could have been done than was allowed under Alert Level 4.
“As ACT said last Monday, Alert Level 4 was not working to contain Delta but destroying business made it the worst of all worlds.
“The Government is now accepting what ACT has been saying all along, it needs to balance COVID with all aspects of New Zealanders wellbeing. COVID is very important but it is not the only challenge to New Zealanders wellbeing and for more and more people it’s not the most urgent either.
“We just spent an extra week at Level 4 for no reason at all by the Government’s own admission.
“Now, it’s totally unclear what the future holds because the next decision will be as logical as the last.
“The only new thing today was Jacinda Ardern’s new triumph of spin terminology “transmission to secondary households”… also known as community transmission.”
University of Otago Public Health Professor Nick Wilson:
"The NZ Government is making a relatively brave move lowering the Alert Levels for Auckland – given that the outbreak is clearly not fully under control as seen with the recent spread into the north Waikato and also persisting mystery cases.
"Hopefully the Government will also shortly move to intensify a range of control measures that will increase the chances of eliminating this outbreak. These include mandatory universal use of masks indoors – including in schools in Alert Levels 2 and 3.
"A range of other improvements include accelerating vaccination efforts in Auckland, enhancing surveillance, and increasing the economic support package for people in Auckland as some of us have recently argued for.
"It is important that all these measures are considered as the price of failure is very high as can be seen with the situation in Victoria and New South Wales in Australia."
Press release from the Ministry of Health on the Whakatīwai situation
"The final household member of the northern Hauraki house where the remand prisoner stayed has now been tested and results are pending.
"An investigation into the epidemiological link (exact route of infection) is ongoing – our working hypothesis being that the individual was infected in Auckland after leaving prison, rather than by someone in the local community where he was staying.
"Further tests, including whole genome sequencing of the first close contacts, are due tomorrow.
"The ongoing investigation from Auckland Regional Public Health is looking to establish epidemiological links to the wider Auckland outbreak, guided by the whole genome sequencing results as they become available.
"The five further household members isolating at home returned negative results yesterday, giving us confidence that they have not been infectious in the community.
"All three positive cases, and an accompanying adult caregiver, have been moved to a quarantine facility.
"To date negative results have been returned from testing of close contacts among prison staff, other prisoners, police and court staff.
"A pop-up testing centre in the northern Hauraki town of Wharekawa marae in Whakatīwai has been busy today testing locals. Waikato DHB reports 340 tests have been taken as of 2pm today."
Correction: Interest.co.nz initially said Bloomfield said 90% of eligible Aucklanders were expected to be fully vaccinated by early-October. That was wrong. 90% of eligible Aucklanders are expected to have received their first dose by early-October.
194 Comments
If level 4 didn’t exactly suppress Delta, then level 3 certainly won’t. Level 3 provides scarcely any greater freedom of movement but given the restlessness already abounding many will simply not see it that way and nor will they act that way either.In other words they have had a guts full of lockdown and level 3 relaxes that mindset very little. The best case scenario is the same steady outcome of daily cases over the last two weeks, and then what precisely? At this point therefore any person not actively seeking vaccination is a numbskull and a menace to all of us and indeed our nation
Vaccine is not the do-it-all solution.
Singapore with more than 80% fully vaccination rate meet with more than 1,000 new case today.
In Korea, vaccine killed more people than covid 19.
Vaccine should be a choice. After all, nobody will be responsible if a vaccine-taker suffers from a side effect (either severe or mild, long-term or short-term).
But Singapore hasn't seen an explosion in severity (yet). Sure it has got over 10k+ cases in the past 4 weeks, but 98.1% were asymptomatic and mild. 1.7% were severe, 0.2% went into ICU and 0.04% passed away. They planed to shift the focus from caseload to severity with vaccination. It's too early to tell if their tactic works, but this was expected. The main difference between SG (and Denmark) and NZ is the hospital capacity. Singapore has over 6000 covid beds inch. 1000 ICU beds, but we have less than 300.
You need to specify the ICU beds per 100k people to compare countries. For a country like NZ with hardly any ICU capacity it's insane to be going along with the pharmaceutical industries propaganda campaign against ivermectin. Early treatment with ivermectin, zinc and vitamin D3 literally keeps people out of hosiptal according to the clinical trials.
And Foxglove when will you demand that the "Untermensch" have their freedoms restricted "for the greater good"? [the excuse all totalitarian regimes have used to turn the majority against the minority and so consolidate their power]. And all to soothe your fears and to get back to the normal promised.
ha, bring in Judith.
Strong team!
promise...
(anyone moaning about the current govt should take a min to think if someone like Bridges or Collins was in power if they'd have said no to closing the border to China at the first outbreak. Not a chance in hell they would have had the cajoolies to do that)
It gets tiring when people don't listen, so yeah it gets beyond tiring it gets annoying. Still I have managed to get myself into a position in life where I don't have to rely on to many other people these days so I guess that helps me cope as I can simply steer clear of idiots and its never tiring to give them the middle finger.
Yep. She's always been a "one trick pony" and whilst the Covid act has worked for her most of the time it's wearing rather thin with the audience now, plus she's finding it much harder to get it right. Let's see how she gets on with her party pieces like the housing crisis, child poverty, the health system, etc. She's had four years to master these acts but we have yet to see any performance.
Agree flyer - I think internally they have discussed that they've given up on elimination and now are in containment mode. Although I doubt that would be publicly stated. And the impact for Aucklander's in particular are meaningful in that it may now mean they are in L3 until xmas (or whenever we are able to meet our vaccination aims). I don't see how you can reduce to level two without Auckland turning in Sydney.
I think they should set a level 2 date (in 3 weeks should be enough) where Auckland goes into level 2 regardless of what has happened. There should be enough time between now and then for everyone who wants a vaccine to get it. They should achieve something like 70% 2 doses and 90% 1 dose by then with a bit of a push.
People will leave it till the last minute regardless, they need to set a date. Surely level 4 was enough to encourage people to get the vax. And it’s not like going from 3 to 2 is going to instantly cause chaos, it will take a few weeks to ramp up especially if a large number are vaccinated. Also there is the option of self isolating.
Last time I checked SHE has kept nothing out of NZ.
The last thing I want is Covid spreading further afield.It most likely would devastate my family.
The decision today was not based in science but due to an unthought out comment last week,which had placed them in the position of having to make a brave decision at the possible expense of their political popularity.As usual,self interest prevailed.
But feel free to let your anonymity enable you to cast aspersions about other posters who you disagree with.
Trouble is the government & their actual agents are not without fault. Case in point the remand prisoner being transferred out of Auckland. Just one person admittedly but that’s all it took for here & NSW. There is sufficient amongst us to think if the government don’t bother to get it right, and there are no consequences for them, why bother ourselves. Just another means to start a leak.
I think you live in some dream world where everything is always 100% perfect. Unfortunately in the real world, this simply is never the case. Even for you, although you may not recognise that or admit here. Unless you are now going to tell us all you are perfect, 100%, all the time, have always been since birth, and will be until your death...? Really???
Not at all. I have worked a career both in NZ and overseas in a very difficult and volatile arena. Failings were not uncommon and were highly expensive. Fail safe procedures were paramount. What cannot be excused though is examples of slack and incompetent behaviour in its most basic form. For instance the minister directing MoH to test all border staff and suchlike, being told that they were, but n fact they weren’t. Establishing a strict border sectioning off Auckland in level 4 and then deliberately sending a remand prisoner over that same border. Read a bit about what the recipient locality thinks about that. Hells bells if you think that those sort of performances are perfection seeking you must have a hell of a lot of tolerance of imperfection in your life.
And by your own admission you had failings commonly... That is all I have pointed out! And you are expecting perfection being achieved by others. It is just hypocritical no matter which way you look at it.
Why is it so hard to accept the we are all human and that this Covid virus may just show us up for what we pretend not to be... A bunch of very righteous people who are very happy to be critical of others, and struggle to accept there can be alternative views that have a right to exist.
No not expecting perfection just an expectation that duties are performed with diligence, responsibility and accountability. Cannot imagine that any employer would disagree with that and neither should any worthwhile employee worth his salt. . Obviously the world is hardly free of mistakes and mistakes that are the result of incompetence and dereliction of duty might well be excusable in your real world from the sound of it, so good luck with that, and I am just damn glad you, with such sloppy ideas of standards, were nowhere near me in my work situation.
People always have been allowed to return to their home though, I doubt the government can legally treat ex prisoners differently.
Also you can’t always blame the leader, I mean do you expect Jacinda and Ashley to be personally running every MIQ in the country. And it’s not like the Aussies did any better.
What the heck has Aussie got to do with it. This is our country. How can it be anything other than counterproductive to excuse yourself by pointing to a worse situation. Why individualise it to those two characters, I didn’t. My beef is with too many individuals in our public service who are all about authority and little about responsibility and that has been starkly obvious in the MoH for time long before this pandemic.
One thing I personally don't get is ever-switching rules about our response. She has clearly said illumination is the strategy and it's working.
How come then when we have 1 case - the whole country goes into Level 4 - 20 cases for 3 weeks, we're doing ok for level 3?
And from the lockdown March 2020 zero new cases nationwide for some weeks before coming off level 4? And now with Delta much more transmissible NZ is moving down with 20/30 cases daily? Only two answers. 1) elimination is no longer viable. 2) political expediency.
Has New Zealand not worked out Jacinda yet ? She doesn't make any decisions so is never to blame, she is just a mouthpiece to pass on the message. That works really well, you get to smile and take the praise when things go right and blame someone else when it turns to shit.
Why?
She promised transformation. In nearly 1.5 terms we haven't seen anything REMOTELY transformative.
In fact, inequality has been getting much worse.
So tell me why someone who says one thing and achieves something totally different - a total mismatch - isn't a phoney.
Look forward to your enlightened response.
Exactly that actually explains that there is little extra freedom allowed in level 3 than level 4. That means Aucklanders will by 4/10 have been subjected to seven weeks of stringent lockdown and given the regularity of daily cases, very little indication that the situation then will be different to that of today, and likely worse. Auckland is the heart and shoulders of New Zealand, but how much load exactly are you expecting the people there to endure without protest. What makes you think there is any actual end in sight and how do you think most of them feel about that exactly ? Don’t suppose you live in Auckland because it is more important to you to bray about the superiority of regulations rather than think or care about those suffering under them.
People just need to get vaccinated, there's no point holding back the tide. Hopefully everyone gets a chance to get double jabbed before things get really out of control. By my estimate the vast majority of sensible people should have had that opportunity by mid October.
Prayers for our hospital system though.......
No, people don't 'just have to get vaccinated' unless they agree to a pfizer so-called vaccine being actually in their personal best interest. I for one am happy to consider a vaccine that has been tested for much longer and is a different type that any of the mRNA types for starters.
Just why do you think there are now over 32,000 people having signed this petition? Just 2 or 3 week ago it was well under 10,000...
Considering that it is typically 10 times more people not happy about any given issue who don't actually complain or take any real action, this number should make some people think why that might be?
Cool story. Let me rephrase. People can get vaccinated or not, their choice, but the country can't stay in level 4 forever, it's time for controlled release. And people will have to live by their risk assessment of the virus vs the vaccination. Good luck out there.
I'm aware. I have one and am brewing another. This is why vaccination of the eligible population is so important. But there will always be those that choose to be selfish twats, that can vaccinate and choose not to, and thus spread the virus to my kids. Children should be naturally quite resilient in the face of this virus, unless they have other serious health problems, and if I had children with those concerns I would be isolating in so far as that was possible while they finish the trials on children under the age of 12.
But we need to accept that elimination is not going to work, sooner rather than later. And we need to accept that the virus will eventually have a chance to affect nearly all people in New Zealand.
I have young children. I won't be isolating them as am more worried about the long term mental health complications from this than the physical heath complications from Covid.
Be careful most of the info on how Covid is affecting children is low quality research. Further this info comes out of the USA where half of all kids are obese. Anecdotal but my understanding is the kids that do end up in hospital are obese 16yo. Tragic but unfortunately a reality of modern society.
Agree. The research I have read is that most kids should be ok. My 2 year old is really healthy, she will be fine. I really don't envy the stress of a parent with a child with other serious pre-existing conditions though. The whole situation is a recipe for anxiety for some people. It's rough.
CT
You and your comments have absolutely no credibility.
You say you are prepared to consider a vaccine that has been tested for much longer yet recommend NZDSOS whose recommendation is Ivamectin - unless you have four legs and eat grass absolutely no trial and certainly not for Covid.
Pathetic.
1700 deaths over 2 years is 850 per year. We have 500 odd from the flu alone per year so 850 isn’t too bad. At the end of the day, it’s a pandemic. People will die (including possibly my own friends and family). This is scary, but it’s a part of life. We have done well to minimise it for as long as we have, but we cannot hide behind the Prime Minister’s skirt forever.
PS: I am not in favour of this approach for dollars, but for other health issues that are piling up in the background.
If it’s only 1700 hundred deaths then the loss of life through the lockdown (e.g. loss of freedom) would actually equate to more hours of life lost than the deaths would, so it’s not all about money. I mean we could all live in cages and stop all manner of deaths but we would actually not really be living.
If it’s more like 10k+ deaths which I suspect it is, then it’s more of an issue.
I think the delta wave will be 2000 or so. Looking at Israel's numbers it would appear that way. They will have to give over 65s a well timed booster though or it may be 4000. The question is if the virus mutates round the vaccine then we may be looking at 10,000 to 15000. Unless we lockdown the border for another year and wait for the new vaccine for this vaccine dodging new varient.
However the fact that they couldn't crush delta with the level 4 lockdown doesn't bode well as even with a hard border closure for this hypothetical new varient. If it slips through we won't be able to eliminate it.
We are sort of screwed long term. We will end up adopting the Swedish model.
Lockdowns dont work when the borders are still letting returnees infected back into the country. Government is dreaming thinking it is going to wipe this out. Another reason giving sport teams special business exemptions all blacks , netball players and a cricket team exemptions thats not ok and then expect the rest of NZ to suffer while they are free to do their thing. Im sorry but that is wrong and they have lost my vote because of it.
Can some intelligent person close to our Illustrious Leader please inform her that when she spouts in the New, Old Language that the New/Old and yes!, even Young people who understand what she is spouting on about is not yet understandable to more than 10% of her Total Population>
So, following her lead and following her understanding of what we as a Nation should do to eliminate and not follow the prisoners released from prison to travel this Fair Nation to their relative safety of a relatively safe abode, may infect many more people than those disposed of by funerals and the like that fellow Lockdown Prisoners may not be able to pray at during the burial of this Fair Nations Home and Church Mourning or afternoonn celebrations of this long and diverse Life
Especially if they cannot follow the Rules, when stated in a Language that the majority who voted for her, cannot understand nor appreciate.
We are not all conversant with her rambling, nor yearly in articulate weekly weakened unfathomable rules and regulations, and Locations namely and disproportionately stated.
Not all simple folks speak the National Language of the English she spouts, nor the other. Rulers need to follow the rules of the Majoriy, otherwise Lockdown Rules could be a little hard to understand.
Location, Location, ...be precise. Level Playing Field is understandable by the Majority, not the Minority....sad to say.
Oh! and putting some into total Debt is not profitable to those who benefited in a small way to those who Saved disproportunately, but were lead up the 'Garden Path by those whose Labours did not give a True Reward....but there is always a Room to Improve. Sadly, you have to follow my drift to understand my witterings.
Funny, That is exactly what I get when I try to understand what the PM is warbling on about using words I do not understand.
I could become a PM too...but I would not waste my breath. I would use simple words that the World could understand. Any fool can warble in a variety of Languages, that only the minority can understand or follow. Get my point now.
Really quite surprised at the vitriol pouring forth from the usual suspects here today. Those grandstanding have little concept or idea of public office, co operative working, quality assurance and training to allow the best possible outcomes.
To castigate and blame a young woman for her knowledge and communication skill is petty and infantile. In other jurisdictions such behaviour would result in a suit being served for slander.
I'm looking for a much higher standard of debate in the near future.
That's true, but then you have a once in a blue moon phenomena of a politician (put aside whether you love her or hate her for a minute) that can appeal to multiple generations.
I don't see that anywhere in the National ranks. Reti maybe?
Certainly not Collins, Bridges and definitely not Luxon.
Key was a similar phenomenon (I’d also note it’s debatable whether this type of politician is desirable for a country in the long run). Ultimately, Ardern leaving will be sudden and unexpected, and it won’t be someone defeating her (again like Key). When she leaves, Labour’s popularity will collapse.
It's the same every day HK, I've given up reading the daily update comments below the announcement article, it's like a troll cesspit, waa labour, waaa greens.
And every day there are 100 odd comments.
People need to chill out and remember we've had it (and still got it) pretty damned good.
All we're being asked to do is - nothing, no one is getting sent to the trenches to get shot at
Even if L4 hasn't worked to eliminate, could we say it has worked to at least contain the spread of Delta?
And elimination would only be possible if all of the population actually adhered to the rules. I saw half the people walking around the Mt Roskill and Blockhouse Bay suburbs of Auckland today without a mask, even entire families.
I don't think anyone has eliminated a delta outbreak though...(happy to be corrected). So like the rest of the world, we're now in containment mode and managing outbreaks.
Doubt you could eliminate delta unless you shutdown essential services, but then people need food, healthcare etc so in reality we may have been fighting a losing battle.
Would rather a losing battle than a massacre, so to speak. If we didn't employ an elimination strategy (impossible as it may seem) right away, we'd most likely have overwhelmed ICUs and ERs, and higher number of deaths instead of the tiny numbers (compared to overseas) now. At least that's how I choose to look at this whole situation so far...
I’m not a fan of Ardern at all, but the Level 4 response was necessary initially to allow time for vaccine numbers to increase while spread could be contained. I think they made the right call, for once, to go properly hard and early. However, it’s being left in too long now. We’re probably reaching the peak of vaccine uptake in urban Auckland and soon we need to make a call on how we triage the treatment of those who have either chosen not to be vaccinated versus those who cannot be vaccinated.
Or how we will treat vaccinated people. Question is - shall vaccinated person pay for treatment of unvaccinated, shall unvaccinated pay for vaccinated? Shall fit guy pay for the treatment of fat woman? it is all madness. The vaccines are FREE and SAFE. We know that they are not FREE, so equally they may not be safe....
Congrats to Jacinda on eliminating the elimination strategy, it's absolutely the right call. The lockdown has given the opportunity to those that would like to be vaccinated... The reality is that Delta will increase in NZ and it can not be stopped. Fortunately it is summer so it will be ok. Look at the amount of Delta cases with effectively zero direct deaths which impacted our most susceptible community.. Delta is more contagious but much less deadly. We need to get through this and focus on early prevention which is key to minimising hospital admissions. Looking at Israel and various highly vaccinated countries I would not be relying on the vaccine to save us. In fact it's probably the reverse given recent evidence provided to the FDA on it's booster decision.
Yeah thats right. When cases increase, we get a few more deaths & the virus spreads outside of Auckland - the polls will swing back for Jacinda to lock down. Aucklanders would have had a few weeks freedom and would be more tolerant to go back to level 4. The rest of NZ scared and out in force to get the vaccine...
Maybe, maybe not. A fair bit of variance by DHB for early childhood immunisation rates.
https://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/health-targets/how…
I think our fascist leader is only suggesting an unattainable 90% target to keep the focus OFF her failures in housing, "curing child poverty" etc...
The vaccine is clearly very dangerous as an expert FDA panel ruled yesterday 16-2 that boosters should not be given to those under 65 as they cause too much myocarditis. VAERS and EU data has also recorded 40,000 deaths. Our Kind Leader is killing Kiwis to remain in power.
Come on all you naifs, for god's sake wake up. The whole process has been a set up by National to put the boot into Jacinda. Just look at those who have deliberately undermined the elimination strategy:
on the one hand we have those at the top level of society i.e. the Wanaka couple and, as was revealed today, Jenny Gibbs and some of the National Party Paratai Drive nobility have been having a right old time partying and wining in contravention of the rules while the rest of us serfs wallow in Lockdown.
on the other hand we have those supposedly at the bottom of society and their church leaders also doing the bidding of Judith Collins via her Samoan husband, so my 'insiders' tell me. You don't really believe the Samoans thought the virus was fake.
so frustrating that they will not do pop up testing at the same supermarkets that show up over and over again.
As Aucklanders prepare to move to alert level 3, a new location of interest shows a person with the virus was at an Auckland supermarket two days ago.
Countdown Botany Downs, on the corner of Te Irirangi Drive and Tī Rākau Drive, has been linked to a Covid-positive person who visited the large supermarket on Sunday afternoon.
The affected time is between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Anyone who was at the store at the same time is told to self-monitor for any Covid symptoms for 14 days after that visit.
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