Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Ashley Bloomfield with COVID-19 alert level decision for Auckland, Waikato

  • 01/11/2021

This livestream has finished. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is joined by Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield to provide an update on COVID-19 alert levels. 

Auckland has been in alert level 3 lockdown for 11 weeks. Parts of Waikato - Hamilton, Waipa, Ōtorohanga, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, and Waitomo including Te Kuiti - have been in lockdown for about a month. 

Both Auckland and Waikato are at step 1 of alert level 3, which allows two household bubbles of up to 10 people to meet outdoors, and some outdoor recreational activities. 

Now that vaccination rates are picking up, businesses will be watching to see if Cabinet has decided when to bring in step 2, which is when retail will return, public facilities like libraries will be able to open again, and gatherings of up to 25 people outdoors will be permitted. 

Watch the video.