Changes to orange settings coming, no move to red planned: PM

Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall will tomorrow "set out some changes to the orange setting rules around masks and isolation periods", Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

But a move to red under the traffic light system was "not planned," the PM said, speaking from the Pacific Island Forum in Fiji.

• Eight more Covid deaths in South

Ardern said the consideration was around what measures would make a difference to the numbers.

"We know what they are. Isolation if you have Covid - that markedly brings down the infection rates of others. Your household isolating with you is equally important. Mask use and vaccination. Those are three things that will have some of the biggest impact on our numbers."

Numbers were going up and people who had previously had Covid-19 were getting re-infected, so she asked people to wear masks, get boosters, and isolate.

"They are the most important things we can be doing right now, far and away above the extra measure [of] gathering limits which in this environment will not have the same impact."

She said Verrall would tomorrow set out what more could be done to focus on those three elements, beyond what was already happening.

Covid cases in the community today topped 11,000 for a second straight day.

There were 11,464 new community cases of Covid reported, along with a further 29 Covid-related deaths. These occurred over the past five days.

On Monday there were 11,548 new community cases and 19 deaths with the disease.