Professor Shaun Hendy, whose modelling has guided the Government's Covid-19 response, is warning it's too risky for the country to to move down to Alert Level 1.
Cabinet will decide today whether or not to ease restrictions next week.
There's pressure for parts of the country that have long been without community cases to be moved into Alert Level 1.
Professor Hendy told political reporter Charlie Dreaver he wants to prolong the current alert levels.
