Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General Ashley Bloomfield give their 1pm Covid update

What you need to know from today's update:

- Current positive cases are a close match to a Sydney returnee who was in MIQ (Crowne Plaza and Jet Park) and Middlemore hospital - this means it has likely been identified when the virus entered the country and has only been in the community a short time.

- Middlemore Hospital not a location of interest at this point

- 208 staff at Crowne Plaza where individual in question was there - only one of them is now overdue for testing and by less than 48 hours. At Jet Park 200 staff working there, only two are overdue for testing.

- 407 staff members across these sites have been compliant with vaccination order. Only 4 had one dose.

- A family adjacent to case at Crowne Plaza has now tested positive on their day 12 test.

- 11 new positive cases in the community, taking the total to 21 - all are in Auckland

- 12 of the 21 are confirmed as Auckland cluster - a further 8 are being investigated

- There are 8 new cases in recent returnees in MIQ - two are historical

- Two of community cases taken to North Shore Hospital overnight, one had worsening symptoms and the other had underlying conditions. Both are in stable condition.

- A hold put on some departures from Crowne Plaza overnight, after three people there tested positive at day 12 of their stay.

- The Air NZ Crew member is unlikely to be linked to the cluster

- There are some additional pop up testing centers in Auckland

- More locations of interest will be released on the Ministry of Health website throughout the day

- Yesterday was the busiest day for Healthline since April last year

- Ashley Bloomfield urges people to be kind and check people are ok

- Jacinda Ardern reminds people over 40 that they can get their vaccine without an invitation and to go to their vaccination booking unless they hear otherwise. She does request people book to ensure physical distancing can be achieved. 

- Essential workers such as supermarkets to be able to get vaccinated

- Cabinet has agreed to make the Pfizer vaccine available for 12-15 year olds from September 1st, but can be booked earlier when accompanying an already eligible caregiver

- 360 close contacts were identified this morning of the positive cases, this will increase significantly as it does not include Avondale College

- Jacinda Ardern has also announced that a C130 Hercules and supporting personal has been deployed to Afghanistan earlier today

- Some individuals bound for New Zealand may return with other partners of New Zealand

- Ministers will announce tomorrow an update on Alert Level 4 restrictions for the rest of the country

- Travel has extended by 24 hours for Queenstown Airport and the Interislander

What else we know today:

- Mask rules are now in effect

- Sky City has identified more that 1000 close contacts

- More than 100 locations of interest have been released

- Air New Zealand has made pleas to extend the 48 hours to get home

- Huge queues at testing stations across Auckland

- Avondale College and AUT are among the locations of interest

- Vaccination centers opened again today, but some still closed