Move to level one may only be month away

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will remain at Covid-19 alert level two for at least four more weeks.

Cabinet is due to review the level two restrictions on June 8 but will not consider a move to level one until June 22.

During a press conference on May 25, Ardern signalled the country could move to alert level one within a month if the positive trend of few or zero Covid-19 cases continues.

She also announced that at noon on May 29 the size of gatherings can increase from 10 to 100.

“We want to get our economy moving quickly without losing the gains we have made to date,” she said.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, says level one will remove some requirements around physical distancing and allow for mass gatherings of larger sizes.

However, there will still be border and public health measures in place to minimise the risk of coronavirus spreading.

Income support

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has also announced a $570 million temporary income support scheme for people made jobless due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fulltime workers will be eligible for $490 a week tax-free for 12 weeks and part-time workers will get $250 under the plans designed to help the newly unemployed adjust and find new work or retrain.