Saturday May 14
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has tested positive for Covid. She has been in isolation since last Sunday, after her partner Clarke Gayford and daughter Neve had tested positive earlier in the week.
"Despite best efforts, unfortunately I’ve joined the rest of my family and have tested positive for Covid-19," she posted on Instagram.
She will remain in isolation until Saturday 21 May, meaning she will not be able to make public appearances at two key political events this week - the announcement of the government's Emissions Reduction Plan on Monday and the Budget announcement on Thursday.
She said she was "gutted" to miss being there in person, but will be staying in close touch with her team and "sharing some reckons" through social media.
There are 7,068 new cases of Covid-19 today.
18 people with Covid-19 have died, bringing the publicly reported total to date to 958.
The deaths being reported today include 10 people who have died over the past two days and eight people who have died since 28 April.
One person was in their 40s, one in their 60s, five in their 70s; five in their 80s and six were aged over 90.
There are 398 people in hospital, with 8 of those people in intensive care or high dependency units.
The average age of people currently in hospital is 60.
Top image: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at Mt Albert War memorial hall to commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
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