New Zealand will remain at level 2 of restrictions until 23:59 local time (11:59 GMT) on September 21, Ardern said on Monday, at a press conference broadcast on Facebook.

The city of Auckland will remain at alert level 2.5 until September 23, the prime minister said.

A Cabinet meeting will be held next Monday to review the coronavirus situation in New Zealand and confirm the planned restriction easing, down to level 1.

According to Ardern, starting from this Monday, physical distancing requirements on planes and public transport are being eased, but face masks still need to be worn. On Saturday, thousands of protesters participated in a peaceful rally against coronavirus restrictions in Auckland.

According to New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, only one new coronavirus case was registered in the country in the past 24 hours. The ministry’s Monday data shows that the country has a total of 1,447 confirmed coronavirus cases and 24 coronavirus-related deaths.