By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In a follow-up on the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health reported seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to report in the community today.

Image/cmccarthy2001 via pixabay

Six are already linked to previous cases in the cluster, and one remains under investigation. This adds to the case from yesterday which also remains under investigation to firmly establish the link to the current outbreak.

To date, 54 people linked to the cluster have now been moved into a quarantine facility, including 24 people who have tested positive.

The seven new confirmed cases to report today brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1,258 which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.

The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 56, of which 37 are from the recent community outbreak, and 19 are imported cases in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.

Of the 37 cases, 35 are linked to the cluster, and two remain under investigation, but are believed to be linked to the same cluster.

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On Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that Auckland — the city of around 1.5 million people at the center of the new outbreak — will remain under a level three lockdown for another 12 days, while the rest of the country stays under level two restrictions, meaning gatherings are limited to no more than 100 people.

Under level three restrictions, people will be told to stay home aside for essential personal movement, schools will operate at limited capacity, and public venues such as museums, playgrounds and gyms will remain shut.