Jacinda Ardern says she won't hesitate to ratchet up New Zealand's stringent Covid-19 restrictions if more can be done to prevent the spread of the virus.
On Sunday, health officials announced another 83 cases in New Zealand, setting a new daily record for this outbreak.
Of those cases, 82 are in Auckland and one is in Wellington, bringing the total number infected in this outbreak to 511.
Ms Ardern called that jump "deeply concerning and the whole reason we've taken the actions we have".
"We know that Delta is more infectious but we are seeing signs telling us it is more dangerous. We are seeing that in our hospitalisations," she said.
Of the 34 hospitalised with Covid-19, two are in a stable condition in ICU.
New Zealand has avoided the number of deaths suffered by much of the world through the pandemic. In the last year, just four people have died from the virus.
Ms Ardern has business in her sights, saying 25 Kiwis had "exposure events" outside their household bubbles - generally work sites.
"If we need to tighten up our restrictions further, we will," she said.
"We have a small number of workplaces that are operating at level four that have seen transmission within staff.
"This may not be a problem with the rules, say, on the factory floor but what is happening perhaps before and after shifts or even during break time. We're looking at all of this in more detail."
Jacinda Ardern threatens tougher lockdown restrictions (yahoo.com)
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