PM Jacinda Ardern has confirmed New Zealand could move to alert level 1 next week, buoyed by 11 straight days of no new Covid cases.
There are no new Covid cases in New Zealand for an 11th straight day, as Cabinet meets to consider when the country can move to alert level 1.
The country has gone 11 consecutive days without any new cases. No one is currently in hospital receiving treatment and there isjust one active case remaining.
The country's combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1504.
The number of recovered cases is unchanged at 1481.
Yesterday, laboratories completed 654 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 282,263. Lower testing volumes were expected over the holiday weekend.
"Anyone who attended these gatherings or who is planning to be at other upcoming events and feels they may be at risk by coming into close contact with people they don't know, should take a cautious approach and seek advice," he said.
But as there was no evidence of community transmission in New Zealand, quarantining for 14 days was not required.
People could get advice from Healthline, from their GP or an after-hours clinic if they had concerns, Bloomfield said.
"Whatever the alert level in New Zealand, it's clear Covid-19 will continue to be a global threat for some time and it's important we remain vigilant - both as individuals and as a country.
"This means continuing to observe physical distancing to keep yourself and others safe, seeking appropriate heath advice, and most importantly staying at home if you're unwell," he said.
"There's currently no evidence of community transmission in New Zealand so at this time, quarantine for 14 days after attending one of these outdoor events is not required.
"It's really important that people remain alert to symptoms and seek advice if they're at all concerned."
Bloomfield reminded people that, under alert level 2 rules, gatherings should have no more than 100 people and the public should follow physical distancing rules.
Another 6000 people have signed up to New Zealand's Covid Tracer app in the past day, with a total of 482,000 registrations.
Businesses have created a total of 21,215 posters with unique QR codes to help with contact tracing.
"We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19," the Ministry of Health said.
She also criticised the lack of physical distancing displayed at yesterday's Black Lives Matter marches in Auckland and Wellington.
Alert level 1 means essentially all restrictions lifted, apart from border controls.
Ardern told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking she would raise that prospect with Cabinet today - earlier than expected - and a decision could be made as soon as June 8 to move 48 hours later into alert level 1.
In a weekend phone call the country's top health official, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, had agreed with Ardern that case numbers had "exceeded expectations", she told MediaWorks.
The events, in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, were held in solidarity with mass protests in the USA over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
More than 4000 people attended a protest in Auckland's CBD, where images showed physical distancing rules were not followed.
Before the New Zealand protests, microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles warned that such gatherings - with large numbers of people shouting and singing - were the perfect environment for Covid-19 to spread.
Please remember that coming together in large numbers & talking loudly/shouting/singing are a perfect combination for allowing #COVID19 to spread. So here are some things you can do to minimise that risk 2/n
There are now fears that asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19 may have attended the protests and unwittingly spread the virus, risking New Zealand losing all the gains made in stamping out Covid-19.
Wiles has since begged people to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days. Ardern told MediaWorks she had requested advice from Bloomfield on whether those people should self-isolate.
