Opposition parties are urging Aucklanders to follow the alert level restrictions as the number of daily cases go up.
National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop and ACT leader David Seymour. Photo: RNZ
There were 71 new community cases of Covid-19 yesterday, nearly half of which are unlinked to the wider outbreak.
Analysis of the outbreak shows a large number of cases are the result of gatherings in breach of the level 3 rules.
ACT leader David Seymour says while he blames the government for the growing outbreak, rule-breakers will only make things worse.
"I'm sorry the government's put you in this position but continuing to breach the rules will only make matters worse.
"The fastest way out of this is high levels of vaccination, high levels of compliance, and some actual leadership from government."
National's Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says people must stick to the rules and it's up to the government to incentivise them to do so.
"My message to Aucklanders is firstly, please follow the rules but my main message is to the government; please provide a credible pathway out of this.
"People are exasperated at tuning in every day and finding out more bad news with no light at the end of the tunnel. There's no hope on the horizon at the moment, and the government needs to be able to provide that."
Bishop says the government should set staggered vaccination targets that equate to eased restrictions and more freedoms.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said New Zealand's alert level 3 was among the toughest measures in the world and it had worked to contain outbreaks before - but Delta was a tricky and challenging opponent.
"It has never been more important to follow the basic rules we've applied since the start of last year when Covid first arrived in New Zealand."
