New Zealand lockdown: Jacinda Ardern announces lifting of all restrictions outside Auckland

Residents in much of the country will be allowed to meet and move freely outside its main city from Tuesday

(AP)

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has announced the lifting of all coronavirus restrictions except in its largest city, Auckland.

Residents in much of the country will be allowed to meet and move freely from Tuesday after no new infections were confirmed over the last 24 hours.

Auckland, which had been the hotspot for a relative second wave in the New Zealand winter, will continue with some measures for at least 15 days.

“Our actions collectively have managed to get the virus under control,” Ms Jacinda Ardern told reporters in Auckland. “This was the centre of the outbreak and that’s why that caution is needed here.”

Face coverings will no longer be obligatory in the rest of New Zealand, though masks will be encouraged on public transport and airplanes, with schools and businesses operating at “Covid-normal” levels.

In Auckland, limits on gatherings will be increased from 10 to 100 people on Wednesday, with the aim of removing them altogether after two weeks.

Ms Arden said the city, home to a third of the nation’s five million people, “needs more time.” She added: “Whilst we have reasonable confidence we are on the right track, there is still a need in Auckland for that cautious approach.”

The prime minister, who is standing in a postponed general election on 17 October, warned that a health ministry analysis indicated that there was still only a 50-50 chance of eliminating Covid by the end of the month, maintaining the need for vigilance.

New Zealand, widely praised for its response to the pandemic, never saw daily infections rise above double digits and had been declared virus-free in June. A cluster in Auckland, however, caused a comparative resurgence in cases, resulting in three deaths.

The country recorded no new cases on Monday. The number of active cases was 62, with around half of those comprised of quarantined returning travellers. Its total number of recorded cases remained at 1,464, with 25 deaths, far below many other countries.