Covid-19: What Delta Level 2 means for Hawke's Bay
All except Auckland will move to Alert Level 2 from 11.59pm tomorrow, and schools will be able to reopen on Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in a post-Cabinet press briefing this afternoon.
Moving to level 2 is progress but it comes with a warning, Ardern says.
She warns that the job is not done - "While the country is in sight of elimination, we can't drop the ball yet".
But unlike Level 2 restrictions imposed last year, 'Delta Level 2' looks a little bit different, with new rules around masks and gathering sizes.
A new Covid testing regime will also be introduced for MIQ staff and essential workers crossing Auckland's borders.
Here's what you can and can't do under Delta Alert Level 2:
The key differences to the previous level 2 restrictions are limits on gatherings.
There will be a limit of 50 people for indoor spaces such as hospitality and indoor event venues to reduce the risk of a super spreader event, and social distancing has increased, from one metre previously, to two metres.
Outdoor spaces can have up to 100 people if it is distanced and ventilated. Records must be kept of attendees at both indoor and outdoor events.
Gyms, museums and libraries now must be in the same alignment rules as supermarkets, which mean the number of people allowed inside must equate to how many can be inside with a two-metre gap between.
Face masks must now be worn inside most public venues, including shops, malls and public spaces.
Mask-wearing in schools isn't mandatory, but director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said it was recommended, especially for students 12 and older. The same applied to universities.
Masks could be removed at bars and restaurants for eating and drinking. However, staff would have to wear masks.
Ardern said new rules on scanning also applied at level 2: mandatory scanning at bars, restaurants, cinemas, churches, hairdressers and anywhere where there was close contact between people.
"To keep it simple, if you're out and about and visiting indoor venues, please wear a mask."
People needed to remember that venues were more limited in the numbers they could take, and should be patient.
"We are within sight of elimination, but we cannot drop the ball."
Ardern said the Delta level 2 restrictions would be hard on the hospitality industry, but it would also mean returning to level 1 sooner.
"We want to keep moving, but it will depend on how successful we are."
Businesses that were not customer-facing would have similar rules to pre-Delta level 2, Ardern said, but those businesses should remain mindful of how contagious Delta is.
"We've learnt from experience. It's the social events when people know one another, when they're indoors for long periods of time with socialising."
Cabinet would further review level 2 on Monday, along with Auckland's level 4 settings.
