31 Aug 2021

Covid-19 lockdown day 14: As it happened

7:14 pm on 31 August 2021

As the country south of Auckland moves into level 3 at midnight tonight while Auckland and Northland stay in level 4 lockdown, police say they "are "not going to be lenient," at border checkpoints. See how the day's Covid-19 news developed with RNZ's liveblog.

Police checkpoints on Auckland's southern boundaries will be up and running before the clock turns midnight and those south of the city enter alert level three.

Only those with exemptions to travel for essential reasons will be waved through the checkpoints.

Police superintendent Shanan Gray told Checkpoint police will educate people who they turn around at the border.

"We don't want to move to enforcing people that are trying to push through the borders, but obviously, if it's absolutely blatant, then maybe we need to go down that path. But our initial approach will be to educate people."

He said all major checkpoints like on state highway one will have a separate lane for freight and stock trucks.

There are 612 community cases in the country - 597 of them in Auckland - with a lower 49 new cases today.

See how the day's Covid-19 news developed:

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