Auckland, the country's largest city and the center of a fresh outbreak, will remain on alert level 2.5 that limits gatherings to no more than 10 people.

While New Zealand reported nine new coronavirus cases Monday, the United States saw over 42,000.

The opposition party has said they would like the election delayed in the hope that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern loses some of her lustre once hardships caused by an extended lockdown begin to bite.

The 12-day extension of Aukland's lockdown will not be extended to the rest of the country, which will stay under looser restrictions, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

New Zealand announced on Thursday that there were 13 new cases in the community, and one overseas arrival who was in quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases to 36.

Ardern said she was suspending the dissolution of parliament, which was due to make way for an election scheduled to take place on Sept. 19, until Monday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source.

New Zealand's successful fight against COVID-19 has made the Pacific island nation of 5 million one of the safest places in the world right now.

So far, 16.3 million people have been infected with the virus across the globe while 650,918 people have died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Three people in the past couple of weeks have escaped from their quarantine facilities.