New Zealand will move into a Covid-19 pandemic Alert Level 4 lockdown from 11.59pm tonight (Tuesday).

It's been 477 days, or 68 weeks, since the country was last under such restrictions.

The entire nation last went into self-isolation, in their family bubbles, on March 25, 2020, and remained locked down until April 27, 2020.

Vaccination has been paused for 48 hours. 

For people visiting the region there is a grace period of 48 hours to get back to their place of residence.

Please follow the rules, stay safe and look after each other, Otago. We’ve got this!

For more details please visit https://covid19.govt.nz/.

Here's a quick reminder on what it means:

• You must stay at home and stick to your household bubble other than for essential personal movement. 
• If you leave the house, please wear a mask/face covering
• Safe recreational activity is allowed in local area, with socialising only within your bubble.
• Travel is severely limited. 
• All gatherings are cancelled and all public venues are closed.
• Businesses are closed except for essential services - for example, supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics, petrol stations and lifeline utilities will stay open.
• Educational facilities are closed.
• Rationing of supplies and requisitioning of facilities is possible.
• Reprioritisation of healthcare services.
• People are asked to wear a mask and keep 2 metres from others when outside
• If you are sick, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453
• Keep scanning QR codes whenever you leave your home
• Practice good hygiene - wash hands often.

This time, the lockdown has been put in place for three days nationally, and likely seven days in Auckland and the Coromandel.

That could change as it becomes clearer over the next few days how wide the virus has spread again into the community.

People have been given 48 hours to travel to their homes, which will likely see a mass exodus of people from Queenstown Lakes over the next few days.

COMMUNITY CASE KEY POINTS

• New Zealand is going into lockdown for 3 days from 11.59pm. Auckland and Coromandel will be in lockdown for 7 days.

• A 58-year-old Devonport man tested positive today after visiting a GP yesterday. He was infectious from August 12.

• The man, who isn't vaccinated, and his wife travelled to Coromandel over the weekend. His wife is fully vaccinated.

• There is no obvious link to the border at this stage.

• While results of genome testing won't be back until tomorrow it is being treated as a Delta case.

• There are 23 locations of interest, 10 in Auckland and 13 in Coromandel.

• Testing centres open until 8pm tonight.