There are 45 new community cases of COVID-19 today, with the number of Omicron cases in the community rising to 90.

There have been 23 new community cases of COVID-19 reported in New Zealand today, with the total number of Omicron cases reported in the community now at 56.

The rules for mask-wearing are about to change and things like a bandana or t-shirt across the face will no longer count as a mask.

The emergence of Omicron will see tougher masks rules for New Zealand while in the Red traffic light setting.

There are 25 new COVID-19 cases in the community on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health has announced.

Omicron could infect half of all New Zealanders within a few months, says a leading data modeller.

The whole of New Zealand will move to the Red setting of the traffic light system at midnight as the Omicron Covid-19 variant has begun to spread in the community.

There are 43 new community cases of Covid-19 and 41 new cases in MIQ facilities.

A case of COVID -19 detected in Palmerston North has been confirmed to be the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health says.

If there is evidence of Omicron community transmission, the whole of New Zealand will move into the traffic light setting Red within 24-48 hours, Jacinda Ardern said today.

There are 39 new COVID-19 community cases in New Zealand today, the Ministry of Health has announced.

The cases are in Northland (1), Auckland (14), Waikato (1), Lakes (5), Bay of Plenty (1), Hawke’s Bay (1) and Hutt Valley (1).