PM Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand can take heart from there being no new coronavirus cases today. But she says it reflects the success of the lockdown rather than actions during level three.
Whanganui District Health Board will swab up to 250 people a day in the Covid-19 community testing phase.
Chief executive Russell Simpson said Covid-19 testing will continue in "significant numbers" over the next week of alert level 3, and that a widespread community testing phase had begun on Monday.
"We're reaching out to as many people as we can to test them, to detect if there is any community transmission across the district," Simpson said.
"This began yesterday, where we swabbed 178 people.
Medical officer of health Dr Patrick O'Connor said there were a number of reasons why the DHB would increase the testing of asymptomatic people over the coming week.
"One of these is a little bit of international uncertainty surrounding the possibility of a silent spread, as it's sometimes called," O'Connor said.
"We have plenty of capacity in our system and there is a need for reassurance that we don't have a silent spread taking place."
Hospital workers, rest home workers and emergency services, such as police and ambulance staff, had received invitations for tests this week, O'Connor said, with around 100 already being tested.
Simpson said the hospital would continue to "move through planned care", with a progressive, phased approach to return to normal volumes.
"We still have periods reserved for an influx of Covid-19 related cases if needed, and we have factored in a capacity for that.
"The visitor policy is still the same as level 4, and because the district is Covid-19 free at the moment, we must continue to keep our staff and the public safe."
Te Ranga Tupua spokeswoman Mary Bennett said she was concerned about the treatment of delivery drivers who had returned to work under alert level 3.
"We don't want to discourage our young people from working, and we do need to look after them," Bennett said.
"We're in level 3, they've come back to work, and they're trying the very best they can.
"They're run off their feet at the moment, and we need to maintain that core message of community care and kindness."
Gerrard Albert, also a Te Ranga Tupua representative, said the community should remain in a "level 4 mentality" for the sake of the most vulnerable members of the community.
"We're putting a lot of effort into getting our people to test for Covid-19, but also to look after their general wellbeing, whether it be medical or social," Albert said.
"In other words, not putting off doctor's appointments or visits, or any other medical condition.
"We think we're in a strong position, but we must remain vigilant."
Police checkpoints will continue periodically through the Whanganui region this week Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui and Ruapehu police area commander Inspector Nigel Allan said police frontline resourcing had remained at twice the pre-Covid-19 level over the past week.
"We still have our reassurance patrols deployed," Allan said.
"It gives us the opportunity to interact with the public and make sure they're complying with the spirit of the restriction which is now level 3."
Allen said police had conducted checkpoints around Waimarino over the weekend, as there may have been a chance of people "travelling further than they should".
"The only breaches were at a checkpoint on State Highway 1, where we stopped 43 vehicles and also made a couple of non-Covid-19 related arrests."
Allan said a police stop in Ohakune on Friday didn't record any breaches, but checkpoints would continue in the region periodically over the next week.
