During Thursday's update, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield revealed there were 29 new confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 in NZ over the past 24 hours.
The CDHB area continues to have the fifth-highest number of cases behind the Southern, Waitemata, Waikato and Auckland DHBs.
The South Canterbury area has 10 positive Covid-19 cases, the same number as yesterday.
The combined total of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand is 1239.
There has only been one death, but 14 people are in hospital including four in ICU.
There are now 317 recovered cases – an increase of 35 on yesterday, higher than the number of new cases.
Bloomfield said it was hard to predict the future, but today was the fourth consecutive day when the number of new cases decreased and that was encouraging.
He said it was important to keep testing widely anyone with flu-like symptoms.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said reports about frontline workers, including police officers, being spat at were "appalling".
"I have other words, but I probably can't use them here."
She said Cabinet will make a decision on a possible move out of alert level 4 on April 20.
On day 15 of the lockdown, Ardern told Kiwis that it was working and announced a tough new quarantine of people arriving from overseas.
She said from midnight tonight every New Zealander boarding a flight to return home will be required to undergo quarantine or managed isolation in an approved facility for a minimum of 14 days.
Ardern said those who have symptoms will be in quarantine and will not be allowed to leave their hotel room, but those in assisted isolation are able to leave their rooms for fresh air.
Police will monitor the facilities, she said. The military could also be used for quarantine enforcement.
Ardern said there was no endpoint for the border controls, and the borders will continue to be a high-risk element.
"I am also signalling that the requirement for 14 days of quarantine or managed self-isolation in a government-approved facility will be a prerequisite for anyone entering the country in order to keep the virus out."
"Even one person slipping through the cracks and bringing the virus in can see an explosion in cases as we have observed with some of our bigger clusters."
She said ongoing quarantine was a huge task, and it could not have been done "from the beginning".
"A network of up to 18 hotels will be used to implement this approach, of which one to two will be specifically set aside for those under strict quarantine conditions."
She said campervans will also be used for quarantine, should they be needed.
She said extra arrivals, for instance for people transiting through New Zealand - which has recently been allowed under strict health conditions - was another reason why the Government had not moved to a blanket quarantine earlier.
Contact-tracing tech
Contact-tracing would also be enhanced by technology, she said.
"The Ministry of Health is already working on a locally developed app that will assist with contact tracing."
She said the Government was looking at the Singaporean Government's Bluetooth-based app TraceTogether, which relies on voluntary uptake.
"We have made initial contact with the Singaporean Government and registered our interest, and I have a phone call with Prime Minister Lee of Singapore this evening where I will be discussing this technology further."
She also cited the need to continue a high rate of testing.
"With these three pillars, border controls, rigorous testing and contact tracing, we have what we need to win this marathon."
'You have saved lives'
Halfway through the lockdown, Ardern said that Kiwis had saved lives.
"What New Zealanders have done over the last two weeks is huge. In the face of the greatest threat to human health we have seen in over a century, Kiwis have quietly and collectively implemented a nationwide wall of defence," she said.
"We are on track to meet their most optimistic scenario. We are turning a corner. But to succeed, we need it to keep working."
She said to expect roadblocks this Easter weekend.
"While most people are doing the right thing, some are not. We cannot let the selfish actions of a few set us back."
She repeated the modelling that showed that New Zealand was on a similar trajectory to Italy and Spain, and that the 205 cases on the 25th of March could have grown to over 10,000 by now.
Furthermore, new modelling due to be released later today by Te Punaha Matatini suggests that the current lockdown has had a significant impact.
She said she was acutely aware of the sacrifices that New Zealanders were going through.
"I have read messages from those who have lost loved ones they couldn't come together to grieve for, brand new parents whose most joyful time has been made so difficult because of separation. Businesses who are worried for their livelihoods and for the family that are their employees."
Over a million were now being supported by the Government wage subsidy, while an extra 4866 Kiwis were on a benefit, and last week that number increased by another 10,000.
"This is going to be a marathon."
Asked about the passing of Te Huirangi Waikerepuru, Ardern said there would be a time and a place for when people will be able to gather to grieve.
She said many of the existing clusters had come from social occasions and it was important to ban congregations for public health reasons.
Details on possible move to alert level 3
She said next week she would outline what life would look like at alert level 3.
"On the 20th of April, two days before the lockdown is due to finish, Cabinet will make a decision on our next steps. That's because we need to use the most up to date data that we have to make that decision."
"If we are ready to move to alert level 3, business we will have two days to implement arrangements.
"But let me say again, we will not be moving out of level 4 early. If we move to early, we will go backwards."
Businesses should start thinking about how to have physical distancing and to be able to contact trace customers.
Ardern said businesses should prepare now for the move but warned New Zealand needed to ensure it didn't make the change too early.
Asked about the election, Ardern said the current plan was to hold it on September 19, but would continue to be reviewed. "It is too soon to make a determination of where we will be, even in a month's time from now."
There had been no decision yet whether Parliament could sit under alert level 3.
She said it would not be life as it used to be when the lockdown is eventually lifted. Life will still be different at alert level 3, and moving too quickly risked putting the country back into lockdown.
Different alert levels might apply to different educational levels such as ECE, and there would be more detail next week when she outlined what alert level 3 life will be like.
PM's Easter Message
"As we head into Easter, I say thank you to you and your bubble. You have stayed calm, you've been strong, you've saved lives, and now we need to keep going."
Update on 12 big clusters
The proportion of today's cases linked to overseas travel is 41 per cent, while 44 per cent are linked to confirmed cases within New Zealand and 2 per cent are linked to community transmission; 13 per cent are still being investigated.
There are still 12 significant clusters, the largest of which are Matamata (64); Bluff (87); and Marist College (84),
The seven-day rolling average of tests is at 3547 per day.
Bloomfield said it was important to ring-fence the clusters as quickly as possible, and being in lockdown had helped.
"We are confident we are on top of those clusters."
He said the review of contact-tracing, done by Dr Ayesha Verrall, would be done today and he would speak with her later today.
He added there was sufficient flu vaccines for the priority groups, and the deadline for those groups has been extended until the end of the month.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told Newstalk ZB this morning of the "huge tensions" between looking after the health of New Zealanders and minimising the impact on the country's economy.
"Health is an imperative but it cannot be at all costs. If it's at all costs, we can't afford to pay for it. We'll be broke. We have to be rational, sane and keep our feet on the ground and keep a commonsense approach.
"There are huge tensions but enabling the economy to pay for the health delivery that is going to be critical here and in the months ahead is also very important."
also called for the election to be pushed from two months to November 21, a date he had initially wanted but was eventually scuppered when Ardern announced it would be on September 19.
- NZ Herald
Summary
| Total to date | New in last 24 hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of confirmed cases in New Zealand | 992 | 23 |
| Number of probable cases | 247 | 6 |
| Number of confirmed and probable cases | 1,239 | 29 |
| Number of cases in hospital | 14 | 2 |
| Number of recovered cases | 317 | 35 |
| Number of deaths | 1 |
View full details of the confirmed cases.
View details of significant COVID-19 clusters.
View interactive map and dashboard.
Total cases by DHB
As at 9.00 am, 9 April 2020
| DHB | Number of cases | Change in last 24 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 159 | 4 |
| Bay of Plenty | 40 | 2 |
| Canterbury | 119 | 5 |
| Capital and Coast | 83 | 1 |
| Counties Manukau | 95 | 3 |
| Hawke's Bay | 35 | 0 |
| Hutt Valley | 21 | 0 |
| Lakes | 12 | 0 |
| MidCentral | 28 | 0 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 48 | 2 |
| Northland | 20 | 0 |
| South Canterbury | 10 | 0 |
| Southern | 200 | 5 |
| Tairāwhiti | 1 | 0 |
| Taranaki | 14 | 0 |
| Waikato | 163 | 4 |
| Wairarapa | 8 | 0 |
| Waitemata | 171 | 2 |
| West Coast | 5 | 1 |
| Whanganui | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 1239 | 29 |
Total cases in hospital by DHB
| DHB | Total cases |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 2 |
| Canterbury | 1 |
| Capital & Coast (Wellington) | 2 |
| Counties Manukau (Middlemore) | 2 |
| South Canterbury | 1 |
| Southern (Lakes District, Dunedin & Southland) | 3 |
| Waikato | 1 |
| Waitemata | 2 |
| Total | 14 |
Note: Four of the 12 in hospital are in ICU.
