(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand will move to tighter Covid-19 restrictions at the end of the day after evidence shows that omicron is circulating in the community.

The move to the “red” settings will include more mask wearing, gathering limits and increased distancing requirements at hospitality outlets, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference Sunday in Wellington. Businesses will remain open and people can travel. Red isn’t a lockdown, she said.

“The goal at red is to slow the spread of the virus,” she said. “We have significant capacity in the system to attempt to stamp out outbreaks.”

Nine Covid cases reported previously in the South Island city of Nelson have been confirmed as omicron, which has triggered the response, Ardern explained. The cases in a single family had attended a wedding in Auckland where one guest has also tested positive, and an Air New Zealand worker on their flight is also infected.

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