Ambulance staff would not perform CPR on a confirmed Covid-19 case, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says.

This was a guideline adopted internationally, he said, and because the virus was spread via the respiratory system.

Bloomfield confirmed there are 71 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

The 71 cases are made up of 49 new confirmed cases and 22 new probable cases.

It brings the total to 868 cases in New Zealand since the pandemic began.

One person is in an ICU.

There have been 2000 lab tests a day, with almost 30,000 tests conducted so far.

Capacity is now 5400 tests a day, Bloomfield said.

10 big clusters in NZ

There are 10 significant clusters in New Zealand, across the country.

The biggest is at Marist College in Auckland.

On recovered cases, Bloomfield said the Government was continuing to watch international cases for criteria.

Flu jabs, PPE and testing capacity

Asked if the deadline for priority groups, such as over 65s, to get flue vaccine can be extended until the end of April, Bloomfield said he was considering this.

He said he hoped health workers would not be using their own PPE gear and the Government has provided a lot of PPE gear around the country so this wouldn't be the case.

Bloomfield said the Government has plenty of swabs, but the Government is looking into the distribution.

New Zealand's testing capacity is amount the leading countries in the world, in terms of per capita testing.

That testing is spread around the country, he said.

Kiwis in quarantine

On the border, he said 300 people have arrived into New Zealand – those are all Kiwis returning home.

If people are symptomatic, they are quarantined and tested.

There 135 people in quarantine, at the moment.

He said many general practices around New Zealand are eligible for the wage subsidy.

When are people most infectious?

He provided an update on a recent WHO report – that report showed that people are most infectious at during the first few days of the infection.

He said people can be infections for one to three day before they can show symptoms, WHO reported.

He said there are no documented cases of asymptomatic transmission.

But he said physical distancing should still be practiced.

National Action Plan

In terms of the National Action Plan, Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black said they were "standard documents" and were not secret.

"We have been open about what we have been trying to achieve in the national response."

Having an action plan is critical to making sure people are on the same page.

She said that plan will be published online today.

"Do get outdoors for some exercise, but stay local," she said.

Support for older Kiwis

Stuart-Black said half a million older New Zealanders have been in self-isolation since the lockdown began.

Check-in calls from the Government started on March 30.

The calls have been appreciated so far, Stuart-Black said.

She added an email has been sent to more than 300,000 seniors telling them their payments will continue.

It also informed them that their winter energy payment had been doubled.

She asked people to continue to check on older New Zealanders.

Yesterday, Bloomfield revealed there were 89 new and probable confirmed cases – the highest number of new cases to date.

But Bloomfield warned that number would continue to rise – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern echoed this comments later in the day.