Though the South Island was "very well placed" to move to green, Ardern pointed out that New Zealand was in transition as the border with Auckland and the rest of the country opened on Wednesday. "And right now, while we transition, I believe quite a few people in the South Island would like the comfort that they know they are around vaccinated individuals." She did "expect things to change in the south" and areas would move into green - but not while the country was in a "transitional period". 'Cautious optimism' over Auckland cases"Cautious optimism" is how Ardern described Auckland's falling Covid case numbers under the traffic light system. Today's Covid cases are in Auckland (97), Bay of Plenty (1), Taranaki (1), Nelson-Marlborough (1) and Canterbury (1).

Source: New Zealand Herald December 13, 2021 02:56 UTC