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There have been no new positive Covid cases overnight, Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said today, hours ahead of Cabinet's decision on the fate of New Zealand's alert-levels.
"I haven't been notified of any positive cases overnight," Hipkins told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.
"We'll get the overnight bench testing results about nine o'clock this morning as they normally come in and the fact that we haven't been notified of any new cases is very encouraging. Our goal here was a short, sharp response. It looks like at this point like that's been effective. We'll have more information as the day unfolds but I'm optimistic at this point."
The latest news comes as experts debate the Government's next moves, with one prominent epidemiologist urging caution - a move to level 2.5 for Auckland - while one economist/modeller believes concerns over a community outbreak have been a possible "false alarm".
Hipkins told Hosking said he was "optimistic" the three Auckland family cases had been contained, but he was not going to pre-empt any Cabinet decision to downgrade Auckland's level-3 lockdown or the rest of NZ's level-2 alert level.
Asked by Hosking if another day of zero cases meant the country was done and could get out of the alert levels, Hipkins said: "I wouldn't go that far - there's still a few pieces of the puzzle that Cabinet will want to weigh up including the fact that we haven't got a confirmed source for this group of cases."
Hipkins told MediaWorks officials were still looking at a set of "highly unlikely" sources of the infection.
The mother in the Auckland family - one of the three positive cases - works at an airline food and laundry supplier on the airport precinct but is not airside, while the daughter, who attends Papatoetoe High School, actually showed first symptoms.
"We may never be able to nail it down," Hipkins said.
If any close contacts proved positive and the chain of transmission was clear and there was not much risk it had been passed to others, then this would make a difference to any potential changes in the alert levels.

"It came out of nowhere and there was no clearly identified source," Hipkins said in justifying the lockdown.
He told MediaWorks New Zealand's first batch of vaccinations would go ahead on Saturday. It would be ramped up over the week.
Hipkins said fewer than 100 people would be vaccinated at the weekend. These would be border workers most at risk of contracting Covid.
The latest Covid update will be officially released by the Ministry of Health at 1pm before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Cabinet meet at 3pm. Ardern is scheduled to advise the Government's decision at 4.30pm.
Cabinet will be examining a number of key issues, such as the all-important Papatoetoe High School test results and any further clues as to the source of the outbreak.
The later meeting time means ministers will have examined the most up-to-date information on the latest community outbreak and experts' advice.

As Cabinet mulls its decision, one expert is calling for the Government to place Auckland into alert level 2.5, rather than pulling the alert level back down to 1 or 2.
Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker was optimistic about the numbers yesterday but warned that Auckland was not ready to go straight down to level 1 or 2 just yet.
Rather, reinstating "alert level 2.5" would allow Auckland to largely reopen for business, while continuing restrictions aimed at disrupting the potential Covid chain of transmission.
Economist Rodney Jones believes the lockdown has been a possible "false alarm".
"If it's zero cases again tomorrow this has been a false alarm – no worse than Northland," Jones told Stuff, referring to another recent case in which a woman tested positive for Covid after her 14 days at the Pullman Hotel managed isolation facility. That case did not lead to a community outbreak.
Jones, who has reportedly done informal modelling work for the Government, said a large number of cases were...