24 August 2021 Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield says the Health Ministry was never against increasing surge capacity for contact-tracing, despite it being explicitly mentioned in an independent review of the February outbreak.
No guests are due to stay in the Crown Plaza MIQ facility in Auckland for two weeks.
Just over 500 people attended the church service on August 15.
However, staff say it is much quieter than previous days.
24 August 2021 There are 41 new Covid-19 cases in the community today, bringing the total since the outbreak began to 148.
Wastewater testing could also be used to rule out infection in the South Island: Expert.
EDITORIAL: NZ won't be free of this threat for years. There's clearly a lot to review now.
Prof Shaun Hendy says NZ dealing with cluster "reaching the upper limit of expectations".
Auckland school, dentist and the NZ School of Tourism are among new locations of interest.
Some studies have suggested waning immunity for Pfizer against Delta after several months.
But as the new Delta variant of the virus has emerged, PM says the strategy will change.
There are eight cases of Covid-19 in the capital.
Today the country recorded the highest number of daily cases in more than a year.
100-plus contacts in the South Island mean it is deemed too soon to come out of level 4.
August 23 2021 New Zealand will stay in alert level 4 lockdown until at least midnight on Friday, and Auckland will stay locked down until at least midnight on Tuesday next week. Earlier today it was announced there are now 107 Covid cases in NZ.
Intermittent network outages mean staff have to use pen and paper to record details.
Speaker Trevor Mallard has delayed the return of Parliament at the request of the PM.
Members of Auckland's Pasifika community are being urged to get tested for Covid-19.
Officials trying to reach two people as source investigation at Crowne Plaza continues.
There are 107 cases of Covid in the community.
There have still been no cases in the south despite the Auckland outbreak growing to 72.
Cars were waiting in line in Henderson before 6am today.
An expert wants the Government to stock up on the AstraZeneca vaccine too.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed in Sunday's 1pm press conference that it was acceptable to drive to a nearby spot for exercise. Video / Ministry of Health
Queensland offers some hope New Zealand can crush this cluster and get back on track.
One new case is in Wellington, the others are in Auckland.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins broke the news at the 1pm press conference.
There are 21 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, bringing the total number of people infected in the outbreak to 72. One million New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated.
NZ should consider pausing international flights while it tackles outbreak, experts say.
The event at the Park and Ride site at Auckland Airport is set to give 1000 jabs today.
Ashley Bloomfield has received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine this morning.
"We should see it peak very soon, actually - just this week."
Health workers vaccinate patients who have arrived at Dunedin's first drive-thru vaccination centre. Video / Craig Baxter
Mandatory mask wearing is here to stay, a top epidemiologist says.