This RNZ.co.nz story is republished with permission
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is speaking at a briefing after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the alert level settings.
Auckland went into alert level 3 and the rest of the country to level 2 at midnight on Monday morning after three community cases in South Auckland were found over the weekend.
Two more cases of Covid-19 in the community were reported today, both of them students at Papatoetoe High School.
School principal Vaughan Couillault confirmed they were siblings, and one was a classmate of the existing case.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the Health Select Committee today it was still too soon to say what impact the new cases would have on Cabinet’s alert level decision this afternoon.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told the select committee the siblings were isolating already as they were classed as a close contact and casual-plus contact.
He said testing of the household contacts would take place and exposure events would be looked at. People linked to any exposure event would also be asked to isolate.
He said family members for the two siblings were also isolating.
