There are 29 new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today as Cabinet prepares to decide on alert levels.

A testing station for Assembly of God congregations in Māngere.File photo. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

 

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there were also two new cases at the border.

It said 28 of the new cases were in Auckland and one was in Waikato.

In the Waikato region, Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, and Hamilton City https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/452846/raglan-s-move-to-level-3-another-kick-in-the-guts-for-local-businesses moved into to alert level 3] today and will stay there for at least five days.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this morning said Cabinet would be looking to ease lower risk options in Auckland and the cases in the Waikato were not material to that decision.

She said there were other options rather than simply moving down an alert level.

In the Auckland region, suburbs of interest where residents are asked to get tested are Henderson, Papakura, Clover Park, Māngere, Favona, Manurewa and Mt Wellington/Sylvia Park. Ōtara has been taken off the list.