1pm: 129 new cases today - the biggest since the pandemic began
There are 129 new cases in the community today. 120 are in Auckland and 9 are in the Waikato.
65 cases are yet to be linked to the outbreak. 64 have been linked, with 25 identified as household contacts.
The total number of unlinked cases from the past 14 days is now 195.
There are also 51 people in hospital with Covid today, with 5 in ICU.
The new case count brings the total number in this outbreak to 2389.
10am: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern outlined a plan for Auckland to get out of lockdown this morning.
A new traffic light system, with three settings - red, orange and green - was also outlined. This would apply in Auckland and nationally.
Importantly, easing of restrictions are based on reaching high vaccination rates. Rates will be measured by each DHB. The target for everywhere is 90 percent. Vaccine certificates will be used in all three settings, and will provide greater freedoms when used. Like alert levels, the new framework maintains the ability to move between settings when needed. It has been designed to be more flexible than the current alert level system.
Green: Limited community transmission and hospitalisations are considered to be at a manageable level. Record keeping required and face coverings are encouraged indoors and at public facilities. Businesses previously considered high-risk can open to vaccinated customers.
Orange: Implemented when there is increasing community transmission. Public facilities will remain open but with limited capacity.
Red: Used when the health system is facing an "unsustainable" level of hospitalisations. Working from home encouraged. Face masks mandatory on public transport, retail and public venues. Also recommended for when people are outside of their homes. Businesses will be allowed to operate with restrictions.
Businesses which choose to open to the unvaccinated will also face restrictions to assist in suppressing the virus amongst those most likely to have it.
Auckland
When each of the city's three DHBs reach a 90 percent vaccination rate for the eligible population, the city will move into the "red" setting. Those over 12 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.
“This target ensures good regional spread across the country and will also help address equity issues within each region,” Ardern said.
“Fully vaccinated people will be able to reconnect with family and friends, go to bars and restaurants and do the things they love with greater certainty and confidence. The framework also provides businesses greater certainty to plan and grow,” Ardern said.
“We need to give everyone, and especially Aucklanders, certainty about when it will be safe to move to a new system, where there are more freedoms for those who are vaccinated."
“The choice is clear for anyone who wants to go to a bar, restaurant, gym or to attend gatherings," she said.
The South Island
“We are open to moving the South Island before the rest of the country, if all the DHBs in the south hit their targets before others,” Ardern said.
Ongoing monitoring
Cabinet is due to review Auckland's situation, and what is happening in the rest of the country on November 29.