Aucklanders are being reminded that they cannot party tonight, despite the looming change of Covid-19 alert levels and the lack of community cases.
The city will drop down to alert level 2 from 6am tomorrow. The rest of the country will be at alert level 1.
Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare told Newshub Nation this morning there were no new cases of Covid-19 in the community overnight.
But Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says community cooperation has helped to stop the spread of the virus and until Sunday, people should stay at home and follow the rules.
He says he will continue to lobby the government to prioritise Auckland over other areas less impacted by the virus, when the vaccine is rolled out to the public.
See how this morning's Covid-19 developments unfolded here:
This is an official government Covid-19 announcement:
On 28 February, the Auckland region moved to Covid-19 Alert Level 3. The rest of New Zealand moved to Alert Level 2. This is for a period of seven days. Further community cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the Auckland Region. If you are in Auckland, stay home where possible, and follow Alert Level 3 guidelines. This will stop the transmission of Covid-19 and save lives. For more information on the alert levels go to covid19.govt.nz.
RNZ is the statutory Lifeline Utility responsible for radio broadcasting under the Emergency Management Act 2002 and it has a memorandum of understanding with Government which has been activated to help deal with potential health issues related to the pandemic. RNZ's Lifeline Utility obligations do not affect our editorial independence as a public media organisation or the rigour of our news gathering and reporting operations.
As New Zealand's Lifeline Utility radio broadcaster, RNZ is required to maintain essential public information channels and news during times of national emergency and we are committed to supporting all New Zealanders. We are also committed to looking after the health and well-being of our staff.
RNZ will continue to provide essential information services - broadcasting and publishing critical public service announcements on air, on our website and via social media channels. Comprehensive news will be available on air and via our website and digital services.
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Kia Kaha - Stay Strong