22 Mar 2020

Coronavirus live updates in NZ and around the world

2:09 pm on 22 March 2020

There are 66 confirmed cases in New Zealand so far and the Ministry of Health is not ruling out community transmission is already taking place.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday announced a new four-level alert system to combat Covid-19 and advised against any non-essential travel within New Zealand.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General of Health David Bloomfield Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas

Ardern announced an alert system for Covid-19 and said all people over 70 or who have compromised immunity should stay at home as much as possible. She also advised against any non-essential travel within New Zealand.

New Zealand has already closed its border to all travellers except NZ citizens, permanent residents, residents with valid travel conditions and their partners and children.

Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus:

    • If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs)

    Follow live updates here:

    As Covid-19 spreads around the world, it can be daunting keeping up with the information. For RNZ, our responsibility is to give you verified, up to the minute, trustworthy information to help you make decisions about your lives and your health. We'll also be asking questions of officials and decision makers about how they're responding to the virus. Our aim is to keep you informed.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs