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Auckland will move to alert level 1 from midday today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed.
She said to move levels there had to be no new community cases of COVID-19 overnight.
The announcement follows six days of alert level 2.
All of the 15 cases from the February cluster are either in quarantine or recovered, Ardern said.
She thanked Aucklanders.
It has been 14 days since the last community case – a whole transmission cycle, Ardern said.
Meanwhile, Auckland’s hospitality industry was left on tenterhooks last night on the eve of three big days of America’s Cup racing.
After 11 days of no community cases of COVID-19, Cabinet met yesterday to decide if the city could escape the shackles of level 2 – but Aucklanders have to wait until today for their verdict.
It’s a busy sporting weekend for the city with America’s Cup events and a Super Rugby Aotearoa match between the Blues and Highlanders at Eden Park scheduled for Sunday.
The Auckland Arts Festival also has dozens of shows and events planned through until 21 March.
A move to alert level 1 would make a lot of difference, especially for retail and hospitality businesses in the CBD, chief executive Nick Hill of Auckland Unlimited, the city council’s economic and cultural agency said.
