23 Aug 2021

As it happened: Covid-19 updates on day 6 of lockdown

5:37 pm on 23 August 2021

The government says its 'more cautious' approach to the Delta outbreak explains why the number of close contacts has ballooned to more than 13,000.

There are now more than 320 locations of interest and more than 13,000 close contacts in the Auckland outbreak.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the number of contacts is far higher than in other outbreaks, but this has been deliberate.

"In the past, with a large event like an awards evening, we would assess all the people case likely had contact with and treat those as our most at risk individuals.

"Now Delta and our more cautious approach means we're treating all those in attendance with caution and asking them to isolate and be tested."

She says the level 4 lockdown should help stop any undetected spread of the virus.

The number of community cases of Covid-19 grew by 35 today, 33 in Auckland and two in Wellington, taking the total number in the current outbreak to 107.

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