Thread by @Ash_Stewart_

Breaking: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announces Level 3 lockdown for Auckland for 3 days from midnight - the rest of NZ goes to Level 2

Comes after 3 members of an Auckland family tested positive for #Covid19 under unknown circumstances

'We are going hard and early'

For Auckland:
- Border will be put in place around Akl
- People should work from home unless it's not possible
- Children should stay at home, schools will open for parents that need to be at work
- Supermarkets and pharmacies will stay open

- Businesses that interact with customers face-to-face will close
- Gatherings outside of a person's bubble are prohibited, except for events including tangihanga and funerals
- Mask wearing on public transport is required

For the rest of NZ in Level 2:

- From midnight, businesses and schools will remain open but with physical distancing required
- Mask wearing is compulsory on public transport
- Mass gatherings will be limited to 100 people
- Hospitality businesses will have capacity limits

PM Ardern's closing remarks as NZ moves back into #Covid19 restrictions, after reminding Kiwis they've enjoyed more freedoms than elsewhere:

"I'm asking New Zealanders to be strong and to be kind.
"We all get that sense of 'not again'.
"Please remember, we are going to be okay"

This is what Level 2 and Level 3 restrictions mean for New Zealand:

Update on the new #Covid19 cases in New Zealand today:

- The cases have UK variant
- It’s not linked to managed isolation
- There were no new community cases today
- A snap lockdown has begun in Auckland, rest of NZ in Level 2
- First doses of the vaccine arrived in NZ this AM