COVID-19 update 17 September 2021

>> (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) welcome to Fridays press conference, everybody.

Shortly I will hand over to the director of public health to update us on the latest case numbers, as was several other matters, then I will provide a brief update on economic support and the trans-Tasman bubble before taking your questions.

(SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) we are in the fifth day of (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) week, and I hope you are enjoying this (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) with each other.

We have 11 new cases today, all of them are in Auckland.

 That's 1007 in this outbreak. Of the total cases, I  am pleased to report 549 cases.

 Of our 11 new cases, two cases remain unlinked, they are still being investigated further. There are also five new cases of COVID in 19 in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities, details of those cases will be in our media release.

 I just want to take a moment to explain where we are at with the clusters in this outbreak. We classify sub- clusters as active, contained, dormant, or closed. Based on the time since the last case associated with the sub cluster was reported. And other factors, like whether the case was a household member. And that allows us to have an overall assessment of the situation, and assess the risk.

So, active sub clusters are cases which have been reported in the previous 14 days, and are not household or other known contacts of previous cases.

Contained some clusters have cases reported in the previous 14 days, and our household or other known contacts of previous cases.

Dormant sub clusters are where there are no cases reported in the previous 14 days. And then closed sub clusters are where there are no cases reported in the previous 28 days. So you go from dormant, to being closed.

We currently have nine epidemiologically linked sub clusters identified in this outbreak, of which two are active, seven are contained, and one is dormant. We then have a further 10 epidemiologically unlinked sub clusters, of these, two are active, three are contained, and five are dormant. So what that tells us is that we are closing in around this outbreak, and that we can be cautiously optimistic about the containment of it.

I just wanted to touch on some information about the truck driver which was discussed yesterday. Public health officials are investigating the positive case and announced yesterday in the Auckland-based dropped over. The truck driver and a member of his household have been transferred to a quarantine facility. I can confirm that he travelled in his work capacity to a number of supermarkets in Auckland, as well as the Bay of Plenty and a jug and Mac regions. You may have seen that the first cases are on the ministry website. We are expecting further sites to be put on later today. If you have been at one of the locations of interest at the relevant time, please follow the advice on the ministry's website, as it varies depending on the nature of the exposure at that location.

We have been advised that he will ask and maintained social distancing while he was working. -- Wore a mask. It is important to note that is the supermarket that the truck driver visited for work I not listed as locations of interest, as they were delivery areas not accessible to the public.

 The company involved has immediately stood down staff who were in close proximity to the driver, and have been assessed as being contacts following a risk assessment by public health officials. The company also advises that their supermarkets have been operating under all COVID 19 articles, including scanning or signing in, increased cleaning protocols, physical distancing, and mask wearing. Truck drivers who come to the supermarkets are required to follow the same protocols, and are physically distance from team members who are loading, or unloading, their goods.

At no time do truck drivers and to the store or shop as part of their delivery or pickup routine.

On testing, yesterday, 7400 people in Auckland took the opportunity to get tested, with around 1000 to 710 suburbs taken from our seven suburbs of interest. That brings a total for those suburbs to 9200 this week. In the past seven days, more than 58,000 people have been tested across the Auckland region, it is a huge effort.

Testing also remains good across other regions. Around 15,000 tests were processed yesterday, with seven day rolling average of just over 13,000.

Just a comment on boundary testing, police have started to checking permitted workers travelling across boundaries, and checking that they have had a test. We would like to remind all permitted workers, including freight workers, who intend to travel through the checkpoints in Auckland, to ensure that you carry evidence to prove that you had a COVID test in the past seven days. Police will be asking to see that evidence. And I understand a number of the vehicles, including heavy freight trucks, were turned around at the checkpoint overnight for failing to provide the evidence. Of course, permitted travellers, just a reminder about where to get tested, you can go to any community testing facility nationwide, or booking with your GP.

Saliva testing is also an option. We continue to see big uptake in saliva testing, with 314 employees covering more than 3000 employees signing up to use it.

And since the start of September, we have had over 22,000 essential workers who have taken up the invitation in Auckland to have asymptomatic testing. All results from the testing has been negative.

On wastewater earlier today ESR reported a positive test result detected from a sample connected on Monday -- collected on Monday, from a sample in East Auckland. A follow-up sample was taken on Wednesday, we expected the results of that in the coming days. With hundreds of recovered cases associated with the outbreak returning home, we do expect to see detections across Auckland, because we know that current cases continued to shed the virus. However, wastewater detection like this enforces the importance of testing to air on side of caution, so we really want to encourage a high turnout for testing. As always, we always investigate any positive detection, and do repeat samples to see if we can match it up against known cases in the community. That have been discharged to the community.

On contact tracing, there are now 1064 active contacts being managed by our  contact tracing team. As well as public health units across the country. Of those, 94% have been contacted, 88% have been tested, and public health units across the country continue to follow-up people in their areas have outstanding test results.

Just on the MIQ stay, I want to make a point of clarification about the length of stay for community cases in our managed, isolation, or quarantine facilities. It has always been the case that people arriving in New Zealand from overseas have to stay in a managed isolation quarantine facility for a minimum of 14 days.

This has not changed, and continues to be the case. For community cases, cases appearing in New Zealand, identified in the community, for those who are sent to a managed quarantine facility, their stay has been a minimum of 10 days from the onset of symptoms, or a positive test, if they remain asymptomatic. Including 72 hours of being symptom-free. And they meet the criteria for release from isolation, as determined by medical officer of health or health practitioner. This continues to be the case for those who reside in a community that is at a lower level IV, such as Auckland.

The reason for this is that the lockdown restrictions reduced the risk of transmission, and the risk to the community is considered minimal. On 31 August we strengthened our guidance in the light of Delta, for the length of stay for community cases, to 14 days. And that is currently what the other DHBs who are on a low level to a following.

And just to reiterate, throughout the outbreak, we have been managing cases in accordance with clinical judgement.

 Lastly, I just want to acknowledge the police. And thank our police staff across the country, who are continuing to work with our committees to keep New Zealanders are safe, and to feel safe, particularly in these uncertain times. And, as an example of that, as I mentioned earlier, the work that the police are doing at our northern and southern checkpoints, at our MIQ facilities, and across the Motu , the work they have been doing is outstanding. It is critical at this time that people adhere to our alert level restrictions, because we have seen that work to get us to where we are, and it will continue to work to get our numbers down even further.

So (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI). Act two deputy minister.

 (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI). This morning at 9 AM, the new resurgent support payment open for claimants. I would like to remind people that they can claim the subsidy regardless of where they are, regard so long as they meet eligibility criteria. As of this morning, over 3000 allocations for the wage subsidy have been approved, totalling almost $2.1 billion in payments.

The Resurgence Support Payment, as you know, is aimed at supporting businesses to meet their fixed costs, as a managed on the podium last week, the payment was originally a one-off payment per outbreak, we have agreed to make it a three week long payment in the recognition of the pressure businesses are under. The third payment has so far paid out $563 million to 184,901 applicants.

This takes the total economic support paid out in the outbreak to almost $2.2 billion. As you know, we hope to see Auckland stepping down to alert level III next week. This will mean a lift in economic activity. Based on what occurred last time that we moved from the 43, and then down to 2, 85 to 90% of economic activity is possible  Adalat level III.

To put some numbers around that, the Treasury estimates that the current scenario, with Auckland at a low level IV, and the rest of the country Adalat level II, is costing the economy about $700 million per week. But with Auckland Adalat level III, and the rest of the country Adalat level II, the cost to the economy would be about $260 million per week.

 As the promised indicated yesterday, if, on Monday, we confirm our principal decision Falkland to move to a low level III, will also consider an increase in the number of people who can gather together, including hospitality venues, and around the rest of the country. We anticipate this would be lifted to 100 people. I know it will not solve all of the issues for the affected businesses, but I know it is well can news for many, particularly in the hospitality industry. So thank  

The initial quarantine suspension to travel with Australia is due to end, but the cabinet has agreed to extend the pause for a further eight weeks and it will be reviewed again in mid-to-late November. We are announcing yesterday so people in Australia can take part in the MiQ room release on Monday and have the opportunity to access the first tranche of around 3000 rooms. Flights from Australia will be in October and November, travellers from Australia should visit the MiQ website to find out how to participate in the room release on Monday.

 In addition, a third managed red flight from Australia to New Zealand is planned for those in emergency situations. This follows on from the two read flights that returned stranded Kiwis home to New Zealand on the fifth and 15th of September. Obviously with those flights the costs and MiQ costs must be covered by travellers and they need a predeparture test from an accredited laboratory which is required within 72 hours of travel.

Happy to take questions. 

>> 10 versus 14 days, if it has always been 10 days why does the welcome pack for the community cases in New Zealand say that if you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the community you will generally be required to stay for at least 14 days? 

>> Often it is a mathematical issue. By the time, because these are cases we are talking about so they have symptoms, they have to be symptom-free and they have to have a minimum of 10 days. The feedback I have had from the medical officers of health across the country is in reality there are a few people would be less than 14 days because often what we see with COVID's symptoms persisting and it is the combination of the two factors that needs to be considered. So that is probably why the welcome pack says that. 

>> It's important to note all these decisions are taken by clinicians on the basis of the health of the people concerned. Nobody is being released until a clinician believes they are in a position to do so. 

>> Why did you let everyone believe it was 14 days? 

>> I don't think that is the case. You have heard now from both Dr Bloomfield and Dr Caroline McElnay what the situation is in the last couple of days. 

>> Any more information on numbers being turned around at the border? 

>> The number we heard earlier this morning was around 10% of people who have been coming to the border had been asked to go back and get tested. That is not unexpected on the first full day as people get used to the situation. It is worth bearing in mind we have established especially in the southern border the ability for people to turn around and go to a nearby venue to get tested. 

>> 10% in perspective? 

>> I don't have the total number, Benedict. It is a relatively small percentage, and as I said on the first day of this we want it to bed in. One of the issues might be around not so much whether someone has been tested but whether it is in within the seven-day period. But we are offering plenty of opportunities for people to get tested including a site adjacent to the southern border essentially. 

>> (INAUDIBLE) grunting travel exemption out of -- granting a travel exemption out of Auckland? 

>> The Director-General looks at those sorts of cases and my understanding from what I have read is that he considered given it was an international sporting event, it represented only four people, they had been tested, it was low-risk and they met the threshold. It did come via the business travel rather than personal travel exemptions, because it is supporting Netball NZ in one of the most significant matches they are playing this year. I do want to stress that is a decision the Director-General takes completely independent of government. 

>> I have not been involved in that. Other than to say there is a process and, yes, it is the Director-General. 

>> You don't think people might look at that exemption, people who haven't been able to travel to funerals, for instance, or to see the birth of their grandchildren and look at it and go, why is a game of sport more important? 

>> I accept for people in those situations this is a very distressing and difficult time. I will just reiterate the process by which this application has been made is via the business travel exemption of which there are many people undertaking that. 

>> But to get across the border... 

>> It is a range of reasons why, it is not just to get food across the border. There are a range of reasons why people go through the process but I reiterate again this is the decision of the Director-General and we have to trust his judgement in these matters and he has judged this safe. 

>> Is the offer for Team New Zealand for the next America's Cup now definitely off the table or is it still available? 

>> We have been clear the extent to which the government believes it can put resources in. That was not deemed to be enough when we made that offer initially. We would be happy to have further conversations around whether or not there is an alternative proposal where the government's contribution would be deemed sufficient to support it staying in New Zealand. We are open to conversations but we have been very clear with Team New Zealand about the extent of the contribution we can make. 

>> How much extra could you put into it? 

>> It wouldn't be any extra beyond what we have suggested we would be able to make available. 

>> On the trans-Tasman bubble, given Australia is now considered to be high-risk, is it providing hope that is not really there to suspend it for another eight weeks? The reality is pretty much now Australia is in the same camp as every other country in terms of travel which may or may not get pushed out beyond next year, so why give hope to Australia which is not really there? 

>> I think what we did, we want to see where both countries are, in New Zealand and Australia, on vaccination rates in eight weeks' time. Obviously what we have at the moment in Australia in at least a couple of states is uncontrolled outbreaks and another one where they are struggling to control it. So for now we think this is the appropriate position to be in. Let's see where we are in eight weeks but I take your point, which is that we would be standing here today right now it would be unlikely in November we would make a decision but we want to continue to have the ability to assess it. 

>> In the first quarter of next year, have any more recent assessments been done by cabinet around how likely that is looking for vaccinated travel? In terms of reconnecting is. -- reconnecting New Zealand. 

>> That remains the plan but we continue to update that and look at it in light of vaccination programs especially. You heard the Prime Minister say yesterday we have ongoing work underway around the framework we are going to be using in the next period, so we're still working towards the next part of the plan for the first part of the year but we are costly reviewing it. -- constantly reviewing it. 

>> The red flights, the two that ran were Sydney to Auckland. The first release you are talking about Australia as a whole. You suggesting people stuck outside of NSW need to get to Sydney, which sounds like a ludicrous idea. That will be a challenge for those people, but that is something we will be working through with authorities in New Zealand. That is something we are going to be working through. It is obviously a significant challenge for people to be able to get from outside Sydney into Sydney. For now those red flights have come from Sydney, that's correct. 

>> We will take then, I know it will be about Australia. 

>> Yes, the great country Australia. Will you assess states state- by-state or the whole country? Because if it is by the whole country, that is the ballgame because NSW will remain in this situation ... 

>> That's part of what I was answering to Jo is one of the things to assess moving forward is whether we can return to a state-by-state basis. That's not on the cards at the moment. It is one of the reasons to keep the eight-week process going. I take the point that has been made, sitting here from the perspective of today, it doesn't feel like a very likely outcome that we would start again in eight weeks. But we want to make sure we have the ability to reassess. 

>> In the months leading up to the opening in April, everyone in government same, "We want to do this, we want to do this," Know you have done it, it was tortured and Kiwis have given their full feedback on it and 27% think it was the right thing to do to open - does that influence you, do you want to open up as much as you did prior to April? 

>> The decisions we make about everything in COVID are made with a health approach. In the early part of this year we were not discussing Delta. We were discussing a different environment and as Dr Bloomfield has said a number of times, almost a different virus. We have to look at the situation now as opposed to looking at the situation in April through the lens of now. My view is we made the decision on the basis of advice and evidence at the time. Now we have a different situation and we are pushing out for another eight weeks and we will reassess then. 

>> Are you enthusiastic as you were before, because we have summer holidays and Christmas coming up, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis wanting to come home, do you have the ambition that might be able to spend time together at Christmas? 

>> It is a different environment now compared to them. We have the desire as you know to get New Zealanders vaccinated and once we do that that opens up options for us. I won't pre-empt those today but the more people who get vaccinated and the quicker they get vaccinated the more options open up. 

>> (INAUDIBLE) vaccinations, is that an ambitious target, what would it take to get there?

>> I am excited about anyone promoting the idea of New Zealanders getting vaccinated, and as many getting vaccinated as possible. As a government we have not set a target and you know the reasons for that. You have also heard from various modellers that 90% plus is where we need to aim for, the plus being the important part of what the modellers are saying so I welcome any campaign that will motivate people to get vaccinated and we want to make sure we get 90% and above. 

>> The health advice has consistently been as many as possible. 

>> Is the health advice 90%? Yesterday it was said we need at least. 

>> At least is the important part of that phrase. We have not had firm advice around a percentage target like that from the Director-General. The point he was making was at least 90% and I welcome campaigns that support anybody to get vaccinated. 

>> Do you have further information about the case identified at Middlemore Hospital, reported yesterday. Have they been linked to the wider outbreak? 

>> I don't believe they have been formally linked to the outbreak. Interviews are ongoing. The public health officials continue to believe they think they will be able to link it to the outbreak but they haven't been able to yet. 

>> Can you clarify the truck driver, the associate Health Minister this morning said they were identified through surveillance testing, but yesterday it was reported they were picked up as a contact of an existing case - can you clarify how they were identified?  

>> Yes, they are a contact of a case. That case was recently discovered. That case was symptomatically and this person was tested as a result of that person having been tested. 

>> And where some of the confusion may have arisen is this person had previously been tested earlier, so that may have been it but the director of public health is correct, he was a contact of an existing case. 

>> The clarification of 14 days or 10 days, someone enters the country and on day one tests positive, they are symptomatically entire time, they have to stay for 14 days. Someone in the community tests positive, they are a symptomatically entire time, they go to Jet Park, they only stay for 10 days, is that right? 

>> Community cases are not subject to the legal framework in place for people coming into the country. It is the decision of the medical officer of health and that assessment is made. If they are deemed to be low risk, in Auckland in Alert     ? It is important to reiterate that it is not about a target, it is about the assessment made by a clinician dealing with the specific patient, looking at the history. So while the rules are as they have been explained today, these are clinical decisions which bear in mind the health of the person and the safety of the community.

>>  So you have two people with the exact same clinical conditions, but one of them will have to stay for 14 days as a result of having recently entered the country. Somebody infectious in the community could be released within 10 days?

>> When you are dealing with any situation, any case, you have to assess each case on its own merit. It is why the deputies ministers have these are clinical decisions which are taken by the officer of health.

>> 10 days, if they are entering level Falkland, but Auckland is not level IV, would they say 14 days?

>>  We're having these discussions with Auckland Regional Public Health Service as to whether or not Auckland should move. We don't know if it will happen, but we're talking with them about the implementation of the policy going forward.

>> So as we move out of level IV, that will be strengthened? Because you introduced 14 days for Delta, we are in the middle of  a Delta outbreak, if the level for receptions and in place, that is a risk, isn't it ?

>> We want to make sure that we have tight management of anybody infectious within the community. That is part of the consultation we would have full stop

>> At the bottom line is that this will be subject to the discussion of the Auckland public health authorities.

>>  I'm just very good at throwing my voice. In terms of some clarity around the timeframe of this truck driver being tested, what was happening in terms of, because it was a household contact, would have been isolating? Can you outline the timeframe of the person being found and the truck driver being tested?

>> I don't have that information with me full stop

>> Only in that I'm aware that the person in the household was a symptomatic and went to get tested, which is exactly what we want to happen. This truck driver was a household member, they too went and got tested at the same time, in advanced of being told that they were potentially a contact of a case. The results both came back positive .

>> And prior to that, sometime prior to that, there had been tested independently of all of that, and obviously, the locations of interest we're dealing with Phil in the middle of the time period .

>> So it isn't a case of them being tested $$CAPITALISE

>> No.

>> Retail banks have been hiking their interest rates because they expect the reserve bank to hike rates, I'm just wondering, are you comfortable with them doing that when they still have access to a whole lot of cheap funding? Partially by the reserve bank's funding with program?

>> I'm sure that Henry wouldn't approve of all of these non-covert questions, but at this stage, those decisions are we never intervene or interview with those decisions. They deal with those decisions based on their assessment of the environment they are in. Clearly, the reserve bank has not changed its rates, but it would not be unusual for trading banks to predict what they think would happen .

>>  Retail banks have received the whole of support over the past year and a half, largely from the reserve bank, but through a whole lot of policy measures, which is in the light but good, because we don't want banks to fail. But they are now reporting very large profits, is this something you are comfortable with ?

>> There is always a big questions in the public debate about bank profits. But I knew that in the past few weeks I have been in regular contact with banks, and from what they're telling me, they are treating sympathetically those customers who come to them asking for an example for a mortgage deferral, or inability to alleviate financial stress, they continue to listen to those people and respond to them. And right now, in the middle of the outbreak, that is what I would what like them to do.

>> (inaudible)

>> They are one household, and they did present there. It is good that people are coming forward when they feel unwell, and they are being dealt with, and obviously it is early days in terms of case investigation, whether or not they can link up.

>> And do they have COVID symptoms ?

>> I believe they were brought in by a family member because they won well, they were dealt with through the protocols as if somebody had COVID when they came in.

>>  Debbie pro minister, do you have a message for anybody who has been shaken by this tragic event which has recently happen?

>> It will be stressing not only for the people of the place, but for their family, so our hearts go out to them. This is a live lease investigation my so I will limit my comments, it just to say, the report over it are tragic, and my heart is out to all of the around them and their community.

>> Have you seen the revelations from Auckland University that the Ministry of health needs to start an education campaign about the correct way to use masks. And what do you make of that?

>> I haven't seen that report, but we would certainly concur that wearing a mask, wearing it properly, it is really important, and my observation of people not wearing them correctly, would agree that there may be issues with people maybe not knowing how to wear them. A mask is only as good as you actually wearing it properly, so covering your nose and mouth. We will certainly look at the port and see if anything can be taken from it put into our education campaigns .

>> What are you seeing in terms of the impacts of that ?

>> We're probably seeing a lot of people with their masks without covering their nose, sitting with their mask just beneath the nose, I'm seeing if anybody here is in that situation, but you do have to cover your nose and mouth.

>> They are calling on the Ministry of health to put out better guidelines in light of Delta, you haven't done that since Delta. They believe that everybody in MIQ should be wearing and 95 masks, including the workers. They also say that the Ministry should put out guidelines say that cloth masks should be at least three layers, as well. Is it time to put out new lines in the wake of Delta?

>> We have put out new requirements, so it certainly has been done. Not just in the light of Delta, but in the light of emerging stronger information about the virus. We continue to look at the information that we have on our websites. I think it is important that people wear masks properly, that they wear them where they are encouraged to, and it is important that, if you are wearing a reasonable mask, that you keep it clean.

>> I apologise for the sensitivities around this, but there have been reports around this family in Timaru , do you have any further information ?

>> I don't, and as I said earlier, the police are still doing the investigation, and we don't tend to comment in any detail on that.

>> How is Auckland trending in terms of vaccinations? The premier said that there is space for 2000 people to get vaccinated this week. Is it on track to hit the target?

>> My message to Auckland is to get vaccinated. You have heard from many people to go and do that. The numbers I do have is that 73% of our legible population across the country have had their first dose, and with bookings, that gets us to 78%. We are well on our way, and we need all New Zealanders to take the opportunity to be vaccinated. We do know that and are not alert level IV, we are asking people to stay home. There aren't many reasons you can stay at home, at one of them is to get vaccinated, so is an opportunity for all of Auckland to do that this again.

>>  (inaudible)

>> I don't have them here today. We can get them .

>> Losses I wanted to be carried back for years instead of one, what are your thoughts on that one?

>>  When we brought in the scheme, it didn't have particularly large take-up from businesses, so it is not something we plan to extend. It is not something I'm hearing a great, for from the business community. As we have shown it through COVID, we will adapt and change our policies, but it wasn't one that when we put in place had a great take-up.

>> Can you give  us a date when interest deductibility, when the draft will be released ?

>> Very soon. I don't have a date, but not far away .

>> Can I get some clarification about what the alert structure looks like now, particularly for people to move down. Is it a case from going to Delta to to normal too, to Delta one, if anybody in Auckland has to do it, we need to do the same. What is the progression like ?

>> The first stage is the decision that Cabinet will make on Monday, if we reconfirm the principle decision, it is a low level III, as we know, alert level III. Whether or not then, if we make good progress, the next move would be Delta two, or the more traditional two, it is a decision still to be made. What the pro minister was indicating yesterday is that, with Delta, alert level II has wrong is, the top rung was the one where we had the 50 person limit, we  are looking to move that for the rest of New Zealand to 100. We are still away way from the decision we would make about Auckland moving to that. As a pro minister said yesterday, we want a low level want to be a low-level one. Sorry, we will just take a few more.

>> Today people were warned that people were getting information from paper-based contact tracing, and that was being used to trace private things. Is there a concern about this? That older people may be particularly vulnerable to this ?

>> This is something that we will absolutely need to follow- up. We encourage businesses and organisations to provide an alternative to scanning, particularly for those who obviously don't have smartphones. We would ask anybody who is providing that to do it in a as secure form as possible, for example, keeping it on the counter, or never counter. But I think it is worth following up to see whether or not we need to issue further guidelines on that.

>>  The scale of the demand for the emergency flights from Australia?

>> I'm trying to recall how many people were on the last one that we did. 93, thank you. I'm not sure if it was that many in the end, I think 93 may have been booked, but not all of them showed up.

>> You getting a lot more as you go forward? And can you give us an idea of what the threshold is for people to get on the flight ?

>> Those red zone flights, the eligibility criteria, you have to be New Zealand citizen, or are holder of a residence class to Visa? You need to have last departed New Zealand after 15 April. It needs to be in the category of being an emergency situation. Obviously, being very specific about that criteria is hard, because everybody has their own version of an emergency, but I don't believe, I haven't heard any examples of people feeling that they just fall a little outside of the emergency. But it does have to be that you can't continue to look after yourself in a way that is appropriate.

>> In what format, how did you reach the trans- Tasman bubble, was at the cabinet decision? How do you make the decision on the trans- Tasman bubble? Shed? It was one of our dedicated cabinet meetings.

>> When was it ?

>> I believed was Wednesday or Thursday. One of the reasons that I'm announcing it today is firstly to allow people to participate. We have had people working with Air New Zealand to ensure that there are flights available for people to book, and therefore be able to participate. So there is a bit of work being on that the last 24 hours .

>> Is New Zealand inclined to take up the Chinese invitation to join the CBPPT? 

>> We are already on it. We welcome any countries wanting to join in a high functioning trade agreement. It isn't just China who have expressed an interest in this, other countries have in the past. It is a very solid regional agreement that New Zealand exporters benefit from, and anything that we can do to enhance a rules-based trade system around the world, we are happy to do it. Any country wanting to join has to sign up .

>> What about the timing of that?

>> I don't make anything of it .

>> Due think New Zealand was asked because they are a soft touch to China ?

>> Not at all. I think is both a mischaracterisation of New Zealand, and probably a lack of appreciation of the CPTPP , many countries are involved. We're just going to give everybody go.

>> There was a case yesterday, a hospital patient who had no (inaudible) .

>> That is still being worked on.

>> And going on that, a bit Of clarity, there are other exposure events with yesterday's cases, so how safe is it to go to level 3 next week? 

>> We will listen to the advice of our public health officials about that when they come forward. The decision we took to make the in principle decision was one that was based on the advice that we got. As Dr Caroline McElnay already said today, cautious optimism is the phrase not only used by Dr Caroline McElnay but also by Auckland Regional Public Health. Do you want to say anything more? 

>> Only that the numbers vary because when we get a case we cannot automatically link, there is an intense investigation that Auckland Regional Public Health undertake and we at the Ministry support. And we establish those links and then we wait to see what the next number of cases are and we are actively working on that. We have reduced the number of unlinked cases, the latest I saw this morning, was down to about eight unlinked cases so it is a movable feast. 

>> It does keep moving, that is the point. 

>> We keep updating it. What we will do as part of our advice is look at what that tells us, what the pattern is. We won't just look at one day but we will look at the pattern and what that is telling us. It is what I meant by my earlier comment about we have cautious optimism, that the vast majority of this outbreak has been contained, and we are seeing just a small number of cases coming through. We are able to link them in the majority and we actively follow-up those we cannot. So that is telling us, that is giving us some cause for optimism. 

>> Nine of the 15 cases yesterday were in the community, with a not close contacts of cases? -- were they not close contacts? Why were they in the community? 

>> Because we're still finding a very small number of new cases, when we follow up those new cases, that's where we can immediately find connections but it was people were not aware they were a contact or a case, they may have been in the community. In Auckland what we are seeing by the sorts of exposures are the things that people are doing routinely like going to the supermarket under level 4 lockdown. That explains why, it is something we always want to make sure of, that people who have been asked to stay in isolation are actually following the rules and we have no information that they are not doing so. 

>> That is the point, if someone is a household contact, they are going to know and they will know they are isolated. We don't necessarily identify every contact straight away, and when we do sometimes we find somebody who has had a contact for a fully legitimate reason. What I want to reinforce as we are seeing very little of people just getting out and about, by and large, as the Director of Public Health has said it is people going about their business. The sequencing of being identified is not always linear, sometimes you have to go backwards. 

>> What is the average time of contact tracing? 

>> I'm not sure. 

>> We can get you those numbers... 

>> 48 hours? 

>> Our metrics are very good in terms of identification of the case, the follow-up, and the identification of those contacts. For example, when we have a case like the case that presented at Middlemore Hospital, it becomes a new case, they have already got contacts who up until the point the case went to hospital were not aware they were contacts of the case. So when we look back at what they have been doing in the previous 48 hours, they will have had some exposures. 

>> Are the contact tracing team working fast enough so we get people before we see them in the community? 

>> Yes, I think we can say with some certainty, that is mostly, I cannot say 100%, the case. At the beginning of the outbreak when we had very large numbers of cases it obviously put a strain on our ability to meet our metrics but as we come down to the smaller numbers of cases, we are much more in a position to do that. 

>> Should not be 100% because we are dealing with smaller metrics? 

>> Every now and then something pops up. I am trying to make sure I don't say it is everyone and then no doubt you'll come to me with one that is not so I want to make sure we cover that. 

>> Mine is more of a generic question. 

>> Benedict was waving his hand but maybe he gave up. He gave up at the end. 

>> On the numbers, they have been slowly declining, they tend to drop off at the weekend, what do you need to see in testing numbers from Auckland to give you comfort on Monday? 

>> I am not sure that specific number will be a major consideration. Overall vaccination rate increases have been good. This weekend represents a really good opportunity for Aucklanders to get out and get vaccinated. All things going well we will confirm our decision for them to go to Alert Level three, and maybe a way of thinking about what we hope will be their final weekend in Alert Level four will be to use it to take up one of the many available spots. We have got the buses going out, we have got community testing centres, sorry, community vaccination centres open. There is no limit on people to get vaccinated this weekend. 

>> It was about testing. 

>> Sorry, I wanted to talk about vaccination and nothing else. Apologies, it is public service announcement day. Say it again, Charlie, and we will pretend it never happened. 

>> Testing numbers tended to drop off, what do you need to see from Aucklanders to give you comfort on Monday that there are no cases lurking in the community? 

>> Testing numbers are very important when we make our decision about Alert Level changes. We want to see testing rates continue and they have been very good through this week. The call we have had by naming the suburbs that we did has borne fruit, and we are seeing more people testing in those suburbs. We want to see the continuation of the very solid trends we have had. We don't set a number on it but we want to make sure it stays high. 

>> Have you received any advice from Treasury or anyone in regards to whether the debt Management office needs to increase its debt issuance forecast in light of Delta? 

>> I have not had any advice about that at all. I will take Mike and Gena. 

>> Just a question, we are nearing the end of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori so I wonder what your words of encouragement and advice are to all New Zealanders to keep up the momentum of Te Reo Maori for the rest of the year. 

>> Kia kaha Te Reo Maori for the whole year. It has been a really good Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori from my point of view. I observed a lot more people having a go. As I said before, if a man from the South Island who grew up with very little Te Reo Maori around can try and get it wrong and see people flinch at my pronunciation every now and again, everyone should have a go. The more you speak, the better you get and the better it is for making sure we reach that big goal we have got of 1 million New Zealanders being able to have a conversation in Te Reo (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) by 2040. Well done to everybody who has had a go. Still a couple more days to have a go. I really appreciate the effort that has been made. 

>> , You invested a lot of time before Waitangi this year before your incredible fluent speech, has your journey continue to since then or was that something you were concentrating over summer because you had that speech to give at the time? 

>> I put a lot of effort in leading into Waitangi Day . But I continue to use Te Reo (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) in my everyday life. But I do need to practice if I'm going to use more than 5 minutes, I continue to use words and phrases but I will continue. 

>> When it comes to your Alert Level decision on Monday, will it come into your thinking how Aucklanders are feeling about being in level 4 for so long and whether they can withstand any more of that. Because it is getting pretty itchy out there, are you concerned people are going to start flouting the rules if you keep them in that level for too long? 

>> First, we always make our decision on the basis of public health advice. That is what guides our decision. But we absolutely appreciate the fact that Aucklanders have been through five weeks of this, and it is hard. We understand that. And we thank Aucklanders for what they have done for us. We made our call on Monday at cabinet to announce the in principle decision because the advice we were getting was that public health felt that we were controlling the outbreak. You have heard again from Dr Caroline McElnay today there continues to be cautious optimism about that so we will take the advice on Monday, but we have made that in principle decision and we want Aucklanders to know how much we appreciate what they have done. 

>> It was said new cases pop up all the time, most of us are at home, we are over it and we are losing faith. 

>> I say to that person, keep the faith. What we have done in New Zealand and especially in Auckland under Alert Level four has worked. Take a look at examples close to home across the ditch where case numbers have gone much, much higher than they have year. What the sacrifice -- than they have here. The sacrifice Aucklanders have made at Alert Level four has been worth it, keep the faith and we will come back to you on Monday with our decision. Have a good weekend, everyone.