Kia ora John,

Yesterday I announced that, as we continue to go hard to stamp out COVID-19, Auckland will stay at Alert Level 3 for a further 12 days, while the rest of New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 2. We will review these settings on Friday, to check our progress.

We don’t want Auckland to be in Level 3 any longer than is needed, but this extra time is our best bet of stamping out the virus again quickly, by ensuring we've isolated the full extent of the outbreak.

There are signs we have found this outbreak relatively early, and our ‘go hard, go early’ approach is working. We’ve undertaken more than 49,000 tests since Wednesday - more than at any other time since COVID arrived in New Zealand - and teams continue to track down anyone who might be at risk through our robust contact tracing process.

While we’re going hard to protect people’s health, we will also use all the tools we have to protect jobs, incomes and businesses.

One of the ways we’ll do this is by extending the Wage Subsidy Scheme, which I also announced yesterday. Finance Minister Grant Robertson will be working through the final details with officials over the weekend, but I can confirm that this extension will be available nationwide. And if you do need immediate financial support, please get in touch with Work and Income to see what assistance is available.

Together, we’ve stamped out COVID before. We kept it out for 102 days, longer than any other country, which has saved countless lives and put our economy in a better position than almost anywhere else in the world. We can do it again.

As a reminder, here’s what you can do to help stamp out COVID-19:

If you’re in Auckland, stay home in your bubble, and please wear a face covering when you’re out and about
If you live outside of Auckland, wear a face covering in places where you’re close to others, like on public transport
Keep your distance: 2m from people you don’t know, and 1m in the workplace
Download the free NZ COVID Tracer app and scan it everywhere you go. If you don’t have a smartphone, keep a written record or diary instead
If you have COVID symptoms, please stay home and call your doctor or Healthline for advice, and if you’re asked, say yes to the test
Wash your hands, and cough or sneeze into your elbow
If you run a business, put up a NZ COVID Tracer app QR code poster

Finally, I want to thank everyone in Auckland for all you’re doing to help us stamp out the virus. Right now, you’re carrying a heavy load to protect our team of five million, but please know that the whole of New Zealand is behind you.

We’ll be checking in again soon, but until then, stay safe and kind.

Jacinda

P.S. If you want a refresher of what you can do at each alert level, you can find more information on the Unite Against COVID-19 website. It’s really important we all do our bit so together, we can once again stamp out the virus.