New Zealand has recorded another eight cases of COVID-19 but the country is still without a recorded case of community transmission.
Health officials have now confirmed 28 cases of coronavirus, and have responded by banning indoor gatherings above 100 people in a similar move to Australia.
Workplaces, schools, supermarkets and public transport have been exempted from the cap.
Of the 28 positive tests, 16 have been found in the last 48 hours after a dramatic uptick in testing.
Only one of the new cases has required hospitalisation - just the second of 28 cases to require hospital treatment.
For the first time, there is spread of the disease in Northland, Taranaki and Rotorua, although all cases remain linked to overseas travel.
While New Zealand boasts one of the least affected populations of any developed country during the global pandemic, the country is still taking an economic hit.
International tourism, which makes up around 2.5 per cent of the country's GDP, is grinding to a halt as the flow of visitors dries up.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has also followed Australia in elevating all the country's travel advisories to level four, or "Do Not Travel".
"This is the first time the New Zealand Government has advised New Zealanders against travelling anywhere overseas. That reflects the seriousness of the situation we are facing with COVID-19," Mr Peters said.
The benchmark NZX 50 index is down about 10 per cent over the last week, shedding another two per cent of value on Thursday.
ANZ New Zealand is predicting a ballooning of government debt, from current levels around 20 per cent of GDP to "30 to 50 per cent".
The bank is urging the Reserve Bank to begin annual large-scale asset purchases - also known as quantitative easing - of around $NZ15-20 billion to soothe a "very stressed" market.
On Tuesday, the government announced a $NZ12.1 billion stimulus package, which it said was New Zealand's biggest one-off peacetime spending announcement.
Air New Zealand remains in a trading halt for a fourth-straight day.
The New Zealand carrier is expected to receive a cash injection from the government above and beyond $NZ600 million promised to the aviation industry in the government stimulus.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the government would "fund things like traffic control and security screening that the aviation industry normally pay themselves", and stopping fee increases.
According to figures released by Stats NZ on Thursday, New Zealand's economy grew by 0.5 per cent in the December 2019 quarter.
That is down from 0.8 per cent in the September 2019 quarter and produces an annual GDP growth figure of 2.3 per cent.
