All going well, most of Aotearoa will be in the orange light setting on New Year's Eve, but an epidemiologist believes the government has deliberately given itself time to backtrack.
All regions bar Northland are set to enjoy extra framework protection freedoms from the morning of 31 December.
Covid-19 Response minster Chris Hipkins told RNZ an eagle eye will be kept on case and hospitalisation numbers over the next 17 days.
Epidemiologist Rod Jackson believes the Government's given itself enough time to extend the red settings if required.
He spoke to Corin Dann.
