Despite no new community cases reported today, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is warning we are "not yet out of the woods".
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
He expects potential positive cases from the list of exposure locations of the recent cases could start being detected from today onwards.
Police revealed today they issued a warning after busting a group of people attending a church service at a house in Māngere East on Sunday, the day the alert level changes came into force.
Bloomfield said the government could not police everyone's behaviour, and taking a prosecutorial approach to the latest breaches would hinder people coming forward.
"We need everyone to do their bit," he said. "Our efforts is unite against Covid, not let the virus divide you."
It comes as the National Party and ACT mount pressure on the government to do more to stop breaches from happening, after it was revealed one of the latest cases had gone for a walk with the mother of another family identified in the Papatoetoe cluster during a level 3 lockdown.
Criticism on Covid-19 communications
There has also been debate about whether it was made clear to a family member, who worked at KFC the night before going into quarantine, she was supposed to be self-isolating.
Health officials say they will review their response to the latest outbreak, involving Papatoetoe High School students and their families, to look for potential improvements, but insist their messaging has been very clear.
The Ministry of Health attempted to contact the family of the KFC worker at least 15 times, but never visited the household in person. A student in that family later tested positive for Covid-19 - and had not been self-isolating.
Bloomfield said there were texts, calls and at least three letters sent to the household.
Read more on the latest cluster and how the cases are linked here.
Meanwhile at Papatoetoe High School, there are still four students refusing to be tested, but under a strict isolation plan. The ministry is following up with 50 contacts out of about 1855 at the school about a second test.
There are now 15 Covid-19 cases in four families connected to the Auckland February cluster in Papatoetoe.
Bloomfield and Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan have also defended the communication efforts to alert people about Covid-19 public health measures and rules after criticism of failing to reach younger people and multi-cultural communities.
Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan Photo: RNZ Lynda Chanwai-Earle
A Māori students association says the government has been too general in its messaging and they are having to take matters into their own hands to ensure their tauira are informed about all things Covid-19.
University of Auckland Ngā Tauira Māori o Tāmaki Makaurau co-tumuaki Mihiterina Williams said: "That is something we have learned, to not rely on these governing bodies or these power entities to tell us how and when and where we should be supporting our tauira, obviously we know how to look after our own much more that they do."
Te Paati Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said some rangatahi had told her the health messages were too long and were not landing on the right channels.
However, Radhakrishnan said they were utilising a range of channels to reach people of various demographics and translate messages for people who may have language difficulties.
"Part of it of course is in terms of ensuring for those whom English is not their first language have materials or messages that are translated into different languages.
"The dubstep remix of Dr Bloomfield to the Covid-19 messages that played at summer festivals that went viral online including on TikTok, that's just one example of how we're constantly trying to innovate to get our messages across."
MIQ fee increase for temporary entry visa holders
Today it was announced temporary entry visa class holders will be charged more for staying in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
A security guard and soldier guarding an entrance to a managed isolation facility in Auckland. Photo: Supplied/ NZDF
Those on visitor visas (such as partners of a New Zealand citizen or resident), student visas, work visas, and limited visas arriving from 25 March will have to pay $2420 more ($5520 in total) for the first or only person in a room.
The changes, however, do not include critical health workers entering on a border exception, who will continue to pay the same amount as returning New Zealand citizens and residents.
Meanwhile, the Cook Islands' cancellation of a scheduled repatriation flight due to take off today has put pressure on New Zealand's Pasifika community, according to Pasifika Medical Association.
"What this means is that we have a number of families who are now delayed another week, perhaps two weeks to get back home to their home country, the burden of that care is being forced back into our community again," said chief executive Debbie Sorensen.
Business leaders seek transparency on full Covid-19 plan
Finance Minister Grant Robertson is looking into a request from some of the country's most powerful business leaders, demanding the government lay out its Covid-19 plan.
The group, which includes the chairs of Auckland Airport, The Warehouse and SkyCity, are asking for a clear explanation of how officials are tracking the government's performance, more information about vaccine contracts, and more information about the Covid-19 testing capacity and strategy, to be made public.
While event organisers are scrambling to find new dates due to the change in alert levels, those in the hospitality sector outside of Auckland say they too are facing a loss of revenue to comply with public health measures for customers.
The preference to work from home amid uncertain and changing conditions is also impacting on businesses which rely on a busy central city.
Azhara Keenan, who runs Gotham Cafe in central Wellington, said it was difficult when there were not many office workers about.
"Yesterday was even below 50 percent, so it's pretty hard. We can't stay open to our set time, and we have to close earlier, because it's just too dead."