With a slow trickle of new COVID-19 cases still emerging, the New Zealand government has delayed any easing of restrictions until next week.
Jacinda Ardern's cabinet has split over a decision to extend COVID-19 restrictions across New Zealand for an additional week.
With a tail of cases still being identified by health authorities, including one new case on Monday, Ms Ardern's cabinet made a majority decision not to relax its current restrictions this week.Cabinet has agreed to check in on the country's settings at its next meeting, on Monday 21 September. "Travelling around the South Island has reinforced that people are not observing social distancing in the absence of any registered or real threat of COVID-19 ... they have applied their own 'common sense' test," he said.
"Since the start we have been cautious. This has both saved lives but also meant our economy has been able to remain open in a sustained way. It is a formula that works," she said. The Labour leader said cabinet's decision was consistent with its previous safety-first decision making.
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