Watch: The All of Government COVID-19 National Response Update

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are giving the update.

Yesterday, Bloomfield announced New Zealand had another 18 cases of Covid-19, the lowest daily number in three weeks.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the country is 1330, while 471 people have recovered from the virus.

Live Q&A with Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield

There are 19 new cases of Covid-19 – 15 confirmed and four probable.

- Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said 546 people have recovered. That’s an increase on 75 from yesterday.
- A fifth person has died – a man in his 80s from the Rosewood Rest home cluster died at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch.
- There are 33 cases at the Rosewood rest home cluster. Of them, 17 are confirmed, and 16 probable.
- Three people from that cluster who were confirmed cases have died.
- There are 15 people in hospital – four of them in ICU. One person in ICU in Dunedin remains in a critical position.
- If and when we move to level 3 there will still be significant restrictions, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
- Ardern says she will set out what levels 2 and 3 will look like later this week on Thursday. It will include information for business, transport and recreation.
- Ardern said she was proud of all New Zealanders who worked abroad in the health care sector, including nurse Jenny from Invercargill who treated UK PM Boris Johnson while in hospital with Covid-19.
- Jacinda Ardern says Treasury will tomorrow release economic scenarios on GDP, unemployment and the ability for the economy to recover.
- “Border restrictions will be a strong part of our response in getting rid of this virus in our country,” the PM says.
- Ardern couldn’t say when border restrictions would be lifted.
  
  “New Zealanders should expect [border controls] for a long time to come.”
- Bloomfield says the extent of testing is giving us quite a good picture of whether there is a wider infection in the country.

The All of Government COVID-19 National Response will provide an update at 1.00 pm today.

Speakers:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health

Watch the live stream below.

https://youtu.be/-ANwFUoGGkc