Ardern said the 61 new cases today seemed "heartening" on the face of it, but she said it was too early to say if the lockdown was slowing transmission. Transmission in the community prior to the lockdown may yet be "rearing its head".
The number of coronavirus cases in Matamata has risen to 37, with the cluster linked to a St Patrick's Day celebration.
The cluster linked to the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown from March 9 to 13 has also increased, with three new cases today taking the total to 27.
Most of these clusters have a link to someone or several people who have travelled overseas recently.
DHB chief executive Dr Kevin Snee said more positive cases will likely appear in the area over the coming days, and a community-based assessment centre (CBAC) has been created in Matamata township.
"Around 200 people have visited our CBAC from when it opened on Monday afternoon to Tuesday evening," he said.
"With testing from the site being prioritised at our local lab we expect to see further positive results."
But Snee said the advice for Matamata residents remained the same: Stay in your bubble.
"We do expect to see the numbers rise in connection to this cluster as those transmissions will have already occurred.
"The most effective way to keep yourself protected and to eliminate it from the community is to stay in your 'bubble' and follow the national guidance during this lockdown period."
Any Matamata residents with symptoms of Covid-19 should contact Healthline or their GP before visiting the CBAC staff for assessment, he said.
"They should inform CBAC staff if they had attended the Redoubt Bar during the previous two weeks, or if they had close contact with anyone who had."
The two Hutt City clusters were initially named after those infected and published on the ministry website, but that was changed when the mistake was realised.
