All of New Zealand moving to Alert Level 4: What you need to know

• New Zealand is going into lockdown for 3 days from 11.59pm. Auckland and Coromandel will be in lockdown for 7 days.
• A 58-year-old Devonport man tested positive today after visiting a GP yesterday. He was infectious from August 12.
• The man, who isn't vaccinated, and his wife travelled to Coromandel over the weekend. His wife is fully vaccinated.
• There is no obvious link to the border at this stage.
• While results of genome testing won't be back until tomorrow it is being treated as a Delta case.
• There are 23 locations of interest, 10 in Auckland and 13 in Coromandel.
• Testing centres open until 8pm tonight.

Auckland will go into level 4 lockdown for seven days – and the rest of the country for three days – following news of a community Covid-19 case in Auckland.

The lockdown will take effect from midnight tonight, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference this evening.

The Covid-positive Auckland case is a 58-year-old male from Devonport and there is no obvious link between him and the border at this stage, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said. He is considered to have become infectious on August 12.

He and his wife travelled to Coromandel township on Friday and stayed for the weekend.

He is not vaccinated, but his wife is fully vaccinated.

Anyone who has been at the locations of interest at the time specified is to self-isolate immediately and call Healthline.

Bloomfield said people outside Auckland and the Coromandel will have been at those locations of interest.

There will also likely be some locations of interest between Auckland and the Coromandel.

Bloomfield said there are testing centres open across Auckland City until 8pm tonight.

Additional testing centres will be open across Auckland tomorrow, and all DHBs will be ensuring there is accessible testing centres across the country.

Ardern said the positive case could not be confirmed as Delta until genome sequencing was confirmed tomorrow, but every recent MIQ case has been Delta.

She said that has shaped this evening's decisions. "We have planned for this eventuality."

She said Delta was more dangerous, but the same actions that overcame the virus last year can be applied to beat it again. 

For more information visit covid19.govt.nz.

Rules for Alert Levels:

Alert Level 4 — Lockdown

Likely that the disease is not contained and community transmission is occurring.

• Range of measures that can be applied locally or nationally

• People instructed to stay at home in their bubble other than for essential personal movement.

• Safe recreational activity is allowed in the local area.

• Travel is severely limited.

• All gatherings cancelled and all public venues closed.

• Businesses closed except for essential services, such as supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics, petrol stations and lifeline utilities.

• Educational facilities closed.

• Rationing of supplies and requisitioning of facilities possible.

• Reprioritisation of healthcare services.

Alert Level 3 — Restrict

Community transmission might be happening.

• Range of measures that can be applied locally or nationally.

• People instructed to stay home in their bubble other than for essential personal movement — including to go to work, school if they have to or for local recreation.

• Physical distancing of 2 metres outside home including on public transport, or 1 metre in controlled environments like schools and workplaces.

• Bubbles must stay within their immediate household bubble but can expand this to reconnect with close family/whānau, or bring in caregivers or support isolated people. This extended bubble should remain exclusive.

• Schools between years 1 to 10 and Early Childhood Education centres can safely open but will have limited capacity. Children should learn at home if possible.

• People must work from home unless that is not possible.

• Businesses can open premises, but cannot physically interact with customers.

• Low-risk local recreation activities are allowed.

• Public venues are closed. This includes libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, playgrounds, markets.

• Gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed but only for wedding services, funerals and tangihanga. Physical distancing and public health measures must be maintained.

• Healthcare services use virtual, non-contact consultations where possible.

• Inter-regional travel is highly limited to, for example, essential workers, with limited exemptions for others.

• People at high risk of severe illness such as older people and those with existing medical conditions are encouraged to stay at home where possible, and take additional precautions when leaving home. They may choose to work.

Alert Level 2 — Reduce

The disease is contained, but the risk of community transmission remains. Risk assessment. Household transmission could be occurring. Single or isolated cluster outbreaks.

• People can reconnect with friends and family, and socialise in groups of up to 100, go shopping or travel domestically if following public health guidance.

• Keep physical distancing of 2 metres from people you don't know when out in public or in retail stores. Keep 1 metre physical distancing in controlled environments like workplaces, where practical.

• No more than 100 people at gatherings, including weddings, birthdays, funerals and tangihanga.

• Businesses can open to the public if following public health guidance including physical distancing and record keeping. Alternative ways of working are encouraged where possible.

• Hospitality businesses must keep groups of customers separated, seated and served by a single person.

• Maximum of 100 people at a time in a defined space.

• Sport and recreation activities are allowed, subject to conditions on gatherings, record keeping, and physical distancing where practical.

• Public venues such as museums, libraries and pools can open if they comply with public health measures and ensure 1 metre physical distancing and record keeping.

• Event facilities, including cinemas, stadiums, concert venues and casinos can have more than 100 people at a time, provided there are no more than 100 in a defined space, and the groups do not mix.

• Health and disability care services operate as normally as possible.

• It is safe to send your children to schools, early learning services and tertiary education. There will be appropriate measures in place.

• People at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, for example those with underlying medical conditions, especially if not well-controlled, and older people, are encouraged to take additional precautions when leaving home. They may work if they agree with their employer that they can do so safely.

Alert Level 1 — Prepare

The disease is contained in New Zealand. COVID-19 is uncontrolled overseas.

• Isolated household transmission could be occurring in New Zealand.

• Range of measures that can be applied locally or nationally

• Border entry measures to minimise risk of importing COVID-19 cases.

• Intensive testing for COVID-19.

• Rapid contact tracing of any positive case.

• Self-isolation and quarantine required.

• Schools and workplaces open, and must operate safely.

• No restrictions on personal movement but people are encouraged to maintain a record of where they have been.

• No restrictions on gatherings but organisers encouraged to maintain records to enable contact tracing.

• Stay home if you're sick, report flu-like symptoms.

• Wash and dry your hands, cough into your elbow, don't touch your face.

• No restrictions on domestic transport — avoid public transport or travel if you're sick.

• No restrictions on workplaces or services but they are encouraged to maintain records to enable contact tracing.

 This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.