The Government is once again allowing travellers to apply to leave managed isolation early on compassionate grounds. Seven people have been granted leave in the past week, Cabinet Minister Megan Woods says.
There are no new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.
The total number of active cases remains unchanged at 27 today, the Ministry of Health said.
"The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains at 1205, which is the number we report to the World Health Organisation."
Atotal of 2191 tests were processed yesterday - more than double Tuesday's reported number.
"That brings the total number of tests completed to date to 446,367," the ministry said.
"Testing remains a crucial part of our overall response and we all have a part to play.
"Testing in the community is fundamental to our efforts to ensure we stay ahead of Covid-19. If you are offered a swab, then please take up that offer."
Today marks 82 days since the last case of community transmission.
One new case was announced yesterday - a woman in her 30s who travelled from London.
She tested positive on her third day in a managed isolation facility, and has now been moved to the Jet Park Hotel in Auckland, where other Covid-positive people had been quarantined.
The Government says testing numbers had dropped off in part because people had become complacent and were declining to be tested.
Yesterday, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield sent a clear message that everyone with symptoms showing up to a GP should be tested.
That had not been the case after the criteria for testing was changed at the end of June, which accompanied a massive drop in testing rates.
Why testing had dropped off
High rates of testing are critical to ensuring confidence that there was no community transmission.
When Chris Hipkins was first appointed Health Minister at the start of the month, he said the public health advice was for 4000 tests a day to underpin confidence in no community transmission.
But there have been fewer than 4000 tests a day, every day, this month. On Sunday, there were only eight tests in the community.
Bloomfield said yesterday there were three reasons why testing rates had dropped: the rates of flu were 20 per cent lower than normal because of the lockdown, and fewer people were presenting with symptoms; school holidays and weekends tended to see lower test numbers; people were declining tests.
He said people were declining tests because they were confident there was no community transmission.
