WELLINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand confirmed seven new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including one imported case and six community outbreak cases, as the government outlined rules for the use of face coverings on public transport.

The imported case was a woman in her 20s who arrived in New Zealand on August 22 from abroad. She has been staying in a managed isolation facility in Christchurch and tested positive for COVID-19 around day 3 of her time in managed isolation, according to the Ministry of Health.

The other six cases are in the community, and they have all been linked to the Auckland cluster identified more than two weeks ago, which resulted in a second lockdown in the country's largest city. The current Alert Level 3 lockdown in Auckland will last till Sunday before new decisions are made, said a ministry statement.

Under level 3, businesses are required to implement COVID-19 safety measures, but most people are encouraged to work from home and school children learn from home.

Among the six community cases announced on Thursday, five are household contacts of previously reported cases, and one is linked via their workplace, it said.

There are 159 people linked to the community cluster at the Auckland quarantine facility, which includes 85 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their household contacts, it said, adding 10 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19.

The country's total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now 1,351, which is the number reported to the World Health Organization.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday the decision to make masks mandatory on public transport at Alert Level 2 and above, which will take effect from next Monday.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins outlined on Thursday rules for the use of face coverings on public transport, including fines.