Covid 19 coronavirus: Data shows level 3 holding firm in Auckland

Quiet streets in downtown Auckland as the region functions under Covid-19 alert level 3. Photo / Dean Purcell

Level 3 is holding firm in Auckland, according to new cell tower data showing that people across the region are staying home and avoiding workplaces and shopping areas.

The pattern last week across the Auckland region is similar to the last time New Zealand was in a nationwide level 3, but with slightly more activity during the evenings in retail areas as more shops figure out how to trade under level 3 restrictions.

The biggest difference is in recreational areas north of the cities and on Waiheke Island. These are generally more remote areas with holiday baches, and they are emptying out at night - meaning that most of those baches are staying empty as their owners are stuck in the city.

While not as dramatic, Wellington has also seen a marked decline in workplace areas, with many businesses in the CBD suffering as a result.

Explore the data for yourself with our interactive graphic below:

Where did the data come from?

The data provided to the Herald was collected by mobile service providers and is commercially sold by Data Ventures. The data is provided at a suburb (Statistical Area Unit 2) level for every hour of every day of the year, but only a total count is provided. This means that individual cellphone cannot be tracked with this data.

"This isn't the start of Big Brother," says Privacy Commissioner John Edwards.

"This is a tentative partnership between the telecommunications sector and the Government to really see whether a trusted agency like Statistics NZ can take this commercial data and turn it into something that's of value to the wider economy."