Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that Auckland will remain at alert level three for an extended period, through until Sunday (August 30), and the rest of the country will remain at level two.

It will be two weeks tomorrow since the alert levels were put in place, and the PM said “enormous effort has gone into rolling out our resurgence plan”.

There are 151 people linked to the South Auckland cluster, including 82 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, and their household contacts.

There are now 10 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including two in intensive care. 

100,000 Aucklanders have been tested for COVID-19 in the past 13 days.

The PM said the virus has spread in a number of ways, including through church services, bus journeys, and shopping.

“If it weren’t for level three this cluster would be exponential, of that I have no doubt,” she said.

More cases will surface during the next few weeks, she said, “but we can manage that”.

Based on the advice of director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the cabinet has agreed to apply a short extension of level three in Auckland until this Sunday August 30 [at 11.59pm]. 

“These extra four days are believed necessary to move down a level in Auckland and stay down,” the PM said.

The rest of the country will maintain the current level two settings, she said. This is to manage the risk of people, including Aucklanders, moving around the country.

“With that movement there does come risk,” she said.

The levels will remain in place for one week from Sunday, and cabinet will review them by Sunday September 6.

Cabinet has also mandated the wearing of face coverings on public transport in level two and above, which will come into effect on Monday August 31.

The PM also said the government's ‘elimination strategy’ approach to COVID will not change.

PHOTO: Supplied