The Ministry of Health has no new cases to report in New Zealand today.
Photo: KTS / Science Photo Library via AFP
See RNZ's full coverage of Covid-19
In a written statement the ministry said nine people with the coronavirus had recovered, bringing active cases down to 61.
The day nine tests for the Pakistan cricket team, who have already had some members test positive - though some were historical cases - had not yet been processed, the ministry said.
Total confirmed cases remains at 1713.
Laboratories completed 6846 tests yesterday, bringing total tests in New Zealand to 1,298,455.
The ministry noted that a "technical issue" with time stamp data fields had been fixed after one of its regular reviews of reporting and metrics.
Yesterday, there were nine new cases reported in the country, five of which were historical cases.
Yesterday, Minister in charge of Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins announced they would allow isolation facilities to be overbooked so full capacity would be reached even if there were last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
Today the government has announced it is widening criteria for emergency allocation in managed isolation facilities for New Zealanders returning.
Until now, emergency allocation was limited to New Zealand citizens or residents who have an imminent threat to their life or health requiring urgent travel home.
A second category now includes citizens or residents who need to provide critical care for a dependant or provide specialist healthcare, critical infrastructure services or travel for reasons of national security or law enforcement.
New Zealanders who are legally unable to remain in their location or want to see a dying relative are also eligible to apply.
Hipkins also promised the government would make an announcement before Christmas about the use of Bluetooth as part of the contact tracing system.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus:
- See all RNZ Covid-19 news
- Covid-19 symptoms: What they are and how they make you feel
- How to wear a mask
- Touching your Face: Why do we do it and how to stop
- Scientific hand-washing advice to avoid infection
- A timeline: How the coronavirus started, spread and stalled life in New Zealand
- Coronavirus: A glossary of terms
