The normally bustling High Street in Auckland's CBD is largely deserted during a lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus disease COVID 19 outbreak, on 26 August 2021 in Auckland. REUTERS Fiona Goodall File Photo: This is an FILE photo of Reiters.
WELLINGTON, Sept 20 Reuters - On Monday, New Zealand eased Coronavirus curbs slightly in its largest city of Auckland, as the government expressed confidence that there was no widespread regional transmission of the Delta variant.
But tough restrictions will continue even after midnight on Tuesday, when the alert level drops to 3 from 4 in the city of about 1.7 million at the center of the latest Delta outbreak.
Schools and offices must still keep closed, for instance, with companies limited to offering contactless services only.
Residents can still keep to their own bubbles, must not visit neighbours and friends or let children play together, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Bubbles must remain exclusive and small, she told a news conference.
If there is no large undetected transmission, Ardern said. There is ongoing work to stamp it out, which is why we are still ranked level 3 of LEGO! The Auckland restrictions will ensure the Delta variant is banned as New Zealand sticks with its strategy of elimination of the virus, Ardern added.
Monday's relaxation allows for up to 10 people to attend funerals and weddings, while businesses can offer contactless pick-up or delivery services, including takeaways.
Auckland will stay at level 3 for at least two weeks. Ardern said that the level will remain at 2 for the rest of the country.
On Monday New Zealand reported 22 new cases of COVID - 19 in Auckland, all on this day, which has been under a full level locking since mid-August. Until then, the country had been largely virus-free. Its tally of infections is 3,725, with 27 deaths.
Ardern's tough lockdowns and international border closure helped rein in COVID - 19, but her government has been criticised for a slow rollout of vaccine that exposed much of the population to Delta.
New Zealand has since ramped up its vaccine drive with purchases of additional vaccine doses from Spain and Denmark.
It also plans a phased re-opening of borders earlier this year, Ardern says.