New Zealand eases COVID-19 curbs slightly in biggest city

WELLINGTON: New Zealand eased coronavirus curbs slightly on Monday in its largest city of Auckland, as the government expressed confidence that there was no widespread regional transmission of the Delta variant.

But tough restrictions will continue even after midnight on Tuesday, when the alert level drops to 3 from 4 in the city of about 1.7 million at the centre of the latest Delta outbreak.

Schools and offices must still keep closed, for instance, with businesses limited to offering only contactless services.