WELLINGTON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's Northland will move to Alert Level 3 restrictions from 11:59 pm Friday following recent information on the risk presented by a positive case initially tested there earlier this week and confirmed in Auckland.
The person is now in an Auckland Managed Isolation Quarantine facility, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement.
"Updated information provided by the police today shows the case moved extensively around Northland after travelling there" on Oct. 2, Hipkins said.
"We believe this new information warrants an alert level change decision to keep Northland people safe," he said, adding restrictions will remain in place until 11:59 pm Tuesday and the alert change will be reviewed on Monday.
Although there are no further cases, the region will still be put into restrictions as the government response needs to "get ahead of any potential spread, and set up widespread testing and continue contact tracing efforts," the minister said, adding a public health investigation continues to identify close contacts and any potential locations of interest.
"Many people in Northland live rurally," Hipkins said, adding, "As we have seen in Waikato the virus is finding its way into rural areas and finding unvaccinated people."
Under Alert Level 3, construction work and takeaway services can operate with necessary safety measures in place, but most businesses still remain closed. Most students are still encouraged to study at home.
The country's largest city Auckland and the nearby Waikato is also under Alert Level 3. The rest of the country stays at Alert Level 2, under which businesses and schools are back to normal, with mask-wearing being mandatory in certain settings and gatherings limited to 50 people in size.
