There are 7746 new Covid cases in the community today and 22 people have died with the disease.

There are 759 people in hospital with the virus, including 19 in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of community cases now sits at 8703 - continuing a downward trend. It was 9984 on the same day last week.

Out of today's new cases, 353 were among people who had recently travelled overseas.

It also comes as the Government issued a strongly worded "recommendation" to schools to enforce mask-wearing for the first four weeks of Term 3.

However, it still stopped short of making masks compulsory, instead leaving it to each school board to make the call themselves.

The stronger wording follows on from a resurgence in Omicron cases through the start of July that now appears to have peaked at just over 10,000 daily cases.

That included 8728 new community cases reported yesterday.

The Ministry of Health also reported a further 26 Covid-related deaths.

As of yesterday, 759 people were in hospital with the virus, including 13 in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers sat at 8913, while a week earlier it was 9994.

Of the people whose deaths were reported yesterday: Five were from the Auckland region, two were from Waikato, one was from Bay of Plenty, one was from Lakes, one was from Tairāwhiti, one was from Hawke's Bay, two were from MidCentral, two were from Nelson Marlborough, eight were from Canterbury, and three were from Southern.

Two were in their 60s, three were in their 70s, ten were in their 80s and 11 were aged over 90. Of these people, 18 were women and eight were men.

The total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 rose to 1954 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths was 26.

Out of yesterday's new Covid-19 cases, 359 had recently travelled overseas.

While daily Covid cases had now dipped below 10,000, it's not clear how much the school holidays helped slow slowed transmission - and whether cases will rise again when students are back in the classroom.

A newsletter sent to all schools Thursday night said both the Education and Health Ministries were recommending students Year 4 and up should wear masks for the next four weeks, while indoors and where it won't have a "significant impact on teaching and learning".

Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti has also written to school boards, outlining the Government's "strong recommendation to review and enforce a mask-wearing policy as much as practicable".

Asked whether the Government had any plans to make masking compulsory, Tinetti said in a statement that winter illnesses "historically peak at the start of Term 3 which is why we have reminded schools of the Government's policy on mask wearing this week".