The Delta variant means most of the country will have to adjust to stricter alert level 2 settings.

New Zealand outside of Auckland, drops alert levels from level 3 to level 2 from 11.59pm tonight, while Auckland stays in level 4 until 11.59pm next Tuesday 14 September.

Wearing a mask and scanning in or record-keeping at public venues will still be required under the alert level 2. In a change to the rules, only 50 people can gather indoors and 100 at outside venues.

Other facilities - like gyms, museums and libraries - will be allowed fewer people inside at any given time.

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