The northern part of Northland is being sent back into alert level 3 at midnight as unlinked cases cause concern, while earlier the prime minister visited Te Tai Tokerau as the government announced the first round of funding for the rollout of Māori vaccine initiatives.
Here's an overview of the day's Covid-19 news.
Photo: RNZ
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called an unexpected press conference this evening to announce the northern part of Northland will go to alert level 3 from 11.59pm tonight through to Monday, 8 November midnight.
This morning, Māori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis, Associate Health (Māori health) Minister Peeni Henare and Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson announced eight Māori and iwi organisations had been approved for $23.3 million from the government's $120m Māori Communities Covid-19 fund.
The numbers
- There were 126 new community cases reported
- Of the new cases 107 were in Auckland, 18 in the Waikato, and one in Northland
- Forty-nine people are in hospital, three in ICU or HDU
- Of the new cases, 59 were not epidemiologically linked
- Yesterday 27,473 vaccines were administered
Lockdown in the North may not go far enough - epidemiologist
Epidemiologist Professor Rod Jackson told Checkpoint the northern part of Northland going into lockdown is the model we will see over the next six months.
"It's going to be localised lockdowns," he said.
"We knew this was going to happen I think, and it's really sad it's happened in Northland."
He said the local lockdown may not go far enough.
"We'll find out in the next few days I guess ... Covid crosses boundaries.
"I think we're going to see more and more local lockdowns to try and keep the virus suppressed."
Reti says it will be struggle to get Northland to 90 percent vaccination
National Party deputy leader Dr Shane Reti, in Opononi, told Checkpoint "it will be a struggle" for the region to get to 90 percent vaccination.
"If we look at the baseline - those children under two where the parents have said 'do not vaccinate them' and have taken them off the register - if we use that as a proxy for what they might want for themselves... I suspect it's about 15 percent."
Reti does not think 90 percent is impossible but said it will be hard.
"As we weigh things up just remember, an hour ago all through Northland all the communities were at the pub watching the Melbourne Cup."
He said it was crowded at the Opononi Pub where he was.
Paediatric vaccines
Questions are being asked about when the government will firm up supplies of paediatric vaccines with an application from Pfizer due any day now.
Director-General of Health Dr Bloomfield said while authorities were "in the room" when it came to supply talks, the timing could be an issue.
"The challenge will be the ability of Pfizer to manufacture them to meet the demand, not just here but of course, globally.
"It seems that they have manufactured enough for the USA so far but we won't know until they put the application [in] and we have ongoing discussions with them about the timing of availability here but believe me, we are absolutely in the room with [them] having those discussions."
Reaction to easing Auckland restrictions
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff thinks moving the city to alert level 3 step 2 next week is the right decision - but a leading Covid-19 modeller says the outcome could be a sizeable outbreak right through summer.
Yesterday, Cabinet decided in principle to move Tāmaki Makaurau to alert level 3 step 2 at 11.59pm next Tuesday.
Covid-19 modeller professor Shaun Hendy told Morning Report tougher restrictions should remain in place until vaccination rates were higher.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said easing restrictions was a "fine balancing act".
Some retailers in the city were "absolutely thrilled" for restrictions to ease.
PM's media conference interrupted
The prime minister held a media conference in Northland today which was derailed by a man claiming to be a journalist who made bogus claims about the vaccine.
Prisoners test positive
Seven prisoners, all in Auckland prisons, tested positive for Covid-19.
Five are at Mount Eden and two at Auckland women's prison.
All seven entered prison last month.
Corrections said one case returned a positive result from a test taken prior to going into custody.
The other six tested positive as part of routine testing for newly arrived inmate. All were immediately placed into quarantine, Corrections said.
Regional Commissioner Northern Lynette Cave says contact tracing has been carried out and appropriate steps taken to prevent any risk of transmission.
Since March last year there have been a total of 20 Covid-19 cases in New Zealand prisons.
The Ministry of Health says half of all prisoners are fully vaccinated.
MPs from level 3 areas no longer need to isolate
The Speaker of the House dropped the requirement for MPs returning to Parliament from level 3 areas to isolate for five days.
Some have had to isolate for a week before returning to Parliament, on top of returning a negative Covid-19 test like other essential workers.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who's come under mounting pressure to visit Auckland, has said it's this rule that makes a trip to her Mt Albert electorate impractical.
She has not spent time in Auckland since before the Delta outbreak began.
The Speaker's Office confirmed MPs will now only be required to return a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours of leaving a level 3 area.
