Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are two new cases in the community - both are students at Papatoetoe High School.

The news comes as Cabinet are deciding whether to lift Auckland out of the level 3 lockdown and the rest of the country out of level 2.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to make the announcement at 4.30pm.

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Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told the Health Select Committee this afternoon that one of the new Covid-19 cases was a classmate of the original case.

He said the case was being treated as a close contact and was isolating, as were their family members.

"Her brother, who also tested positive, is categorised as a casual-plus contact because he's student at the school.

"But in this case it's most likely that the chain of transmission is from our original case to her classmate, who's then passed it on to her brother."

Dr Bloomfield said they'll be looking very carefully at whether there were any other positive tests coming out of the high school.

"So far two thirds of them, over 1000, have been negative which is encouraging," he said.

Reporting by RNZ

Republished by Arrangement