Much hinges around what happens with the test results of 48 returnees, who stayed alongside four confirmed Covid-19 cases at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland and who have since left the facility.
Neither Ministry officials, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield or Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins know how many have been tested or how many have been contacted.
But, according to Bloomfield: "We will have a very good picture by [1 pm today], especially with all the testing that has been done."
This comes as the Australian government revealed it has extended its suspension of its one-way travel bubble with New Zealand for another 72 hours. The hold on the bubble is now due to end on Sunday, January 31.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she retains confidence in the country's systems and processes but acknowledged the decision was for Canberra to make.
Hipkins yesterday told reporters that New Zealand's MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) standard was at a "platinum" level. But this claim has come under pressure, as officials continue to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak at the Pullman Hotel.
Despite this, Hipkins said "we're not seeing any evidence of community transmission at this point" and later today he would have "more information about whether we need to do anything around alert levels or any changes."
"At this point, I haven't seen information that would indicate that there is that risk," he told reporters yesterday.
It comes as Ardern revealed that the Government is investigating "extra requirements" for those leaving MIQ facilities in light of the new Auckland cases.
Although the Government has not gone into detail about these new requirements yet, epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said those leaving MIQ facilities should be required to self-isolate for a week.
"Quite clearly, the period, after you leave MIQ, you are still at an elevated risk."
In the meantime, the Pullman Hotel remains under the microscope as officials investigate how three people contracted the virus during their isolation - one other person was the source case who infected the others.
The facility is now closed to new arrivals and once all those currently isolating have left, it will undergo a hospital-grade "deep clean".
As well as this, Hipkins announced that all returnees across all managed isolation facilities will now be required to stay in their rooms for the last two days of their time in quarantine.
"The day three and the day 12 [testing], when we introduced it, was the gold standard – now we've moved into a platinum standard."