New Zealand will move to level 3 of lockdown on Monday, April 27 at 11:59pm. Alert level 3 will be held for two weeks and then Cabinet will assess whether to move down another level.
Eighteen people have now died of Covid-19 in New Zealand after an Auckland woman in her 70s passed away last night.
The latest death comes as the Ministry of Health reports five new Covid-19 cases.
Four of the cases are linked to existing clusters, and one is still under investigation.
The Auckland woman who died last night was in Waitākere hospital and had been transferred from CHT St Margaret's Hospital and Rest Home.
She is the second resident transferred from CHT St Margaret's to Waitākere to die from the virus.
The woman had underlying health conditions and was a confirmed case of Covid-19.
Waitākere hospital staff were able to support daily visits by a family member in the days before the woman's death.
The family have thanked both the staff at CHT St Margaret's and Waitākere hospital for the professional and compassionate care provided to their mother.
There are seven people in hospital, one fewer than yesterday. This total includes one person in the ICU in Middlemore.
There remain 16 significant clusters.
A cluster in Wellington of 13 cases linked to a local wedding is now regarded as closed as there have been two incubation periods (28 days) since a case was notified. It is expected more clusters will be considered closed in coming days.
3 new cases linked to aged-care facilities
Three of today's new cases are linked to aged residential facilities - one in Auckland and two in Christchurch.
The combined total of tests undertaken to date is 115,015.
The combined total of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand is 1,461, with 1118 reported as recovered – an increase of 23 on yesterday; 77 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases are now recovered.
Alert level 3 will still be based on the principle of staying home and saving lives, but 400,000 more employees will be able to return to work under strict safety guidelines.
Schools and some early childhood education centres will be open for students up to Year 10 inclusive, though parents have been told to keep their children at home if they can.
This morning, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took part in the "Stand at Dawn" campaign to commemorate Anzac Day.
She stood at the driveway of Premier House in Wellington at dawn with her partner Clarke Gayford and father Ross Ardern.
In a statement, she said it was an Anzac Day like no other, but the purpose of honouring the Anzac commitment and "enduring hopes of peace" remained the same.
The Covid-19 lockdown has cancelled Anzac services today, but this morning thousands of New Zealanders did not let it stop them paying their respects.
