New Zealand’s third week in lockdown was it's most deadly, but as new case numbers continue to fall, NZ remains optimistic that Level 4 restrictions may be lifted on schedule.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says there is "no value" in trying to save people who have coronavirus if it means greater social damage is caused.
We need to save our economy as fast as we can before further damage is caused, Peters told Newstalk ZB's The Weekend Collective.
The decision on whether New Zealand will move down to alert level 3 will be announced at 4pm today.
"The secret is that we keep a sense of balance," Peters said.
"In other words it would be of no value if we save a lot of Covid people in our approach - and yet during it we've got all sorts of things like depression, suicide, breakdowns and a whole lot of other social things having far greater social damage.
"In the end the only thing that's going to save lives, isn't just medical expertise - but an economy that's capable of providing the utilities to face the crisis."
He also hit back at those who say alert level 3 isn't much different to level 4.
Recently National's Judith Collins said level 3 is just like level 4 but with KFC.
Peters said level 3 has changed since the alert level system was introduced 30 days ago, arguing we know more now from watching the pandemic unfold both domestically and internationally.
He said level 3 means 500,000 more people can go back to work.
"It's sad people have to get political in times like this," he said.
"If you can't help then get out of the way of people who are trying to help".
There were nine new confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand announced on Sunday, taking the total of confirmed and probable cases to 1431.
There was one new death since Saturday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced at the 1pm Government update.
The death brings the total toll to 12 and was of a man who died in his Invercargill home and who was linked to the Bluff wedding cluster. It is the first coronavirus death in the community.
The man, aged in his 70s, died in his Kingswell home on Tuesday evening. The Bluff wedding cluster has been connected to more than 90 cases, including the death of the groom's father.
Bloomfield said it was important to get a good understanding of the death so a post-mortem was ordered - leading to the delay in confirmation that it was Covid-related.
The new cases are made up of four confirmed cases and five probable cases.
They are all linked to confirmed cases.
Of the 1431 confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand, 912 people have recovered - an increase of 45 from Saturday.
There are 18 people in hospital, including one each in ICU at Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals; two are in a critical condition.
