'We have avoided the worst'

New Zealand has had five new Covid-19 cases and one more death as the nation prepares to move to alert level 3 tonight. 

For the final time during this period of alert level 4, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield are providing a Covid-19 update from the Beehive.

Dr Bloomfield said there was just one confirmed case and four probable cases. There was one death, a woman in her 90s from St Margaret's residential aged care home, bringing the total number of deaths to 19.

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She had a number of underlying health conditions and was the third person in that cluster to die. Along with other residents she had been transferred to Waitakere Hospital.

She was the 19th person to die from coronavirus-related causes in New Zealand.

Three are linked to St Margaret's hospital, with two linked to other cases.

Six cases that were probable have been reclassified, meaning the national total is 1469.

There were almost 3000 tests yesterday, and about 123,000 in total. So far, 1180 people have recovered - about 80 per cent of the cases in NZ.

Seven people are in hospital.

PM's message: 'We have avoided the worst'

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said NZ is 11 hours away from the "strictest" constrains in NZ's history.

Ardern said contact tracing has been scaled up "significantly".

The Government can make up to 10,000 calls a day.

Bloomfield said at the moment, the Ministry can trace 185 cases a day and that will be scaled up to 300 a day.

He said New Zealand is in the "gold standard" the Government was after.

Bloomfield said it was important that people recall where they have been, and make a note of that.

That will help with contact tracing, he said.

This is all the more important in alert level 3, as people's contact with others expands, Bloomfield said.

Ardern said there is strong evidence NZ does not have strong community transmission.

She said NZ can process up to 8000 tests a day - one of the highest testing per capita in the world.

She said there is strong evidence that NZ does not had strong community transmission.

Ardern said people should pause to digest the country's low number of confirmed Covid-19 cases.

She said without the lockdown, there would have been more than 1000 cases a day.

She said this shows why the lockdown was necessary.

"We have avoided the worst," she said.

But it was tragic that NZ has lost 19 people, she said.

"We send you our love at our time of loss."

"This has been one of the hardest elements of level 4," she said, of people not being able to be with loved ones when they die.

"We must hunt down the last few cases ... this is like a needle in a hay stack," Ardern said.

She said level 3 "will not be a return to pre-Covid life."

She called on the "team of 5 million" to make sure the country does not have a second wave.

"We can only do this if we continue to pull together"

Ardern said in order to make a move to level 2 in two weeks, there will need to be a confidence that there is no community transmission.

"We can only do this if we continue to pull together."

"If we need to stay at level 3 [for longer] we will."

Meanwhile, the Government will continue to support Kiwi businesses hit by Covid-19.

Cabinet will meet tomorrow at 10am.

Today will be the last day of daily joint press conferences - the Ministry will continue to deliver them from now, she said.

"I consider NZ to be very lucky to have a public servant like Dr Bloomfield" leading the Covid-19 charge, Ardern said.

She said working with him has been a "real honour".

Ardern urged Kiwis to remember the rules of level 3.

"Think about our local businesses, they need our support," she said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield arrive for the...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield arrive for the media update at Parliament. Photo: Getty Images

Trans-Tasman bubble?

In terms of the trans-Tasman bubble, Ardern said that was something she was talking about with Australian PM Scott Morrison.

But we're not there yet, Ardern said.

It's something officials are working on, she confirmed.

She said it was "very likely" that NZ citizens in Australia can come home soon.

"That is something we can consider," she said, but added it needs to be done safely.

Asked if marae could be used to home some people who were homeless at the moment, Ardern said the Government will continue to work with Maori on this issue.

Bloomfield said hospitals in level 3 will start easing into elective surgeries.

But it will do so safely, he said.

Some cases 'reclassified'

Six cases that were probable have been reclassified, meaning the national total is 1469.

Bloomfield said some public health units are reviewing some probable cases and that is why some classifications have changed.

The Ministry will continue to do this, he said.

He said there will be ongoing monitoring of confirmed cases.

Active management of cases means there are daily phone calls to those infected.

He said a new Health Act order comes into effect tonight, when New Zealand goes into level 3.

He reminded anyone with health needs to not delay seeking help through GPs, or to contact Health Line.

There were almost 3000 tests yesterday, and about 123,000 in total. So far, 1180 people have recovered - about 80 per cent of the cases in NZ.

Seven people are in hospital.

There is only one case in New Zealand that is still be investigated.

It comes as the number of new Covid-19 cases has remained in single digits for more than a week now.

There were nine new cases confirmed yesterday and no new Covid-19 related deaths.

Despite the optimistic numbers, both Bloomfield and Ardern have warned against complacency.

"Our marathon will take patience and endurance but we need to finish what we started," Ardern told the Herald yesterday.

Bloomfield said that as the country prepares to move to alert level 3 on Tuesday morning, it's really important not to "slacken off the effort".

The pair are expected to reiterate the same message when talking to media this afternoon.

After more than four weeks at alert level 4, at 11.59pm tonight New Zealand will shift into level 3.

The country will stay at this alert level for at least two weeks.

Ardern has previously warned that level 3 and level 4 are quite similar and people need to remain vigilant.

One of the major differences between the two alert levels is access to takeaways and stores which operate a click-and-collect system.

Fast-food outlets have been preparing for the influx of customers come Tuesday.

As New Zealand comes out of level 4 lockdown, there are still a number of countries around the world which have heavy quarantine restrictions.

There have been 2.95 million cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with more than 200,000 deaths.

So far, 861,000 people have recovered – less than a third of the number of people who have the virus.

But in New Zealand, the recovery rate is almost 80 per cent.

Bloomfield is expected to reveal that New Zealand number of active cases has again fallen.

Comments

Singapore thought this not long ago. Far to early to be so confident.

A bit crowded on the Singapore Straits.