Coronavirus: Auckland border to open on December 15, while NZ has 194 confirmed new cases of COVID-19

Publish Date
Wednesday, 17 November 2021, 1:08PM

After 91 days in a strict lockdown, Aucklanders will be able to leave the city on Wednesday 15 December - just in time for Christmas.

People travelling out of Auckland who are fully vaccinated or test negative 72 hours before departure will be able to leave the city.

It will be in place from then to January 17.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has 194 new cases of Covid-19 in the community and sadly one death, reports the Ministry of Health.

The death is of a man in his 60s at North Shore Hospital. He passed away yesterday.

Of today's new cases, 180 are in Auckland, six are in the Lakes District, three are in Northland and five are in Waikato.

The total number of cases in this outbreak is now 6,167.

To date, a total of 2,136 cases are now reported as having recovered from Covid-19.

The total number of cases in Auckland is 5,807 (2,006 of whom have recovered), 265 in Waikato (94 of whom have recovered), 49 cases in Northland (15 of whom have recovered), six active cases in Taranaki, 14 active cases in the Lakes District, two active cases in Wairarapa, two active cases in Tararua and four cases in Canterbury (three of whom have recovered).

There are 88 people in hospital, including seven patients in intensive care.

There were 21,031 first and second vaccine doses administered yesterday, made up of 6,664 first doses and 14,367 second doses.

To date, 91% of New Zealanders have had their first dose and 82% are fully vaccinated.

Auckland is currently at alert level 3 step 2.

The rest of the country is at alert level 2.

Previously, the Prime Minister revealed New Zealand will move into a new way of managing Covid-19 when District Health Boards have 90 per cent of their eligible populations vaccinated.

The traffic light system will use vaccine certificates to allow complying businesses to continue to operate at all times - and proposes to end nationwide lockdowns.

New Zealand has had 8,923 confirmed cases since the pandemic began last year and 36 deaths.

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