Prime minister Jacinda Ardern says alert levels will not change in any part of the country until at least next Tuesday (September 21). 

Auckland will remain in alert level four and the rest of New Zealand will stay at alert level two. 

In the country’s biggest city, there are still roughly three clusters that continue to produce cases, the PM said.

For the rest of the country this means: “While there is an outbreak in Auckland that continues to produce cases there is still risk,” Jacinda said. 

“The risk to the rest of the country may feel low but there is still reason to be cautious.”

She said if Covid-19 was to travel across the Auckland border the effect would be far greater at level one than level two. 

The R-value (the number of new cases each case infects) has dropped from six to less than one since alert level restrictions were imposed, Jacinda said.

“Another week at alert level four in Auckland gives us the chance to really finish the job off here,” director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said. 

The PM reiterated the importance of vaccination and asked all members of the public who had not yet been vaccinated to book their appointment or visit a pop-up clinic as soon as possible.

PHOTO: Supplied