New Zealand now has 13 new cases of Covid-19, taking the number of cases to 52.
The new cases are in Auckland (3 new cases), Waikato (1 new case), Taupo (1 new case) , Manawatu (2 new cases) , Wellington (4 cases), and Nelson (2 cases).
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It is the largest rise in a single day so far - and so far two of the cases have no link to overseas travel.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has just made the announcement.
"We always knew that cases not linked to travel could happen and we are prepared for that," he said.
Another 1500 tests were processed in the last 24 hours, he said.
Of the 52 confirmed cases, three people were in hospital and in a stable condition. The three cases are at hospitals in Nelson, Queenstown and North Shore.
Of the cases not linked to travel, one was in Auckland and one in Wairarapa (Wellington region).
Neither of the people had travelled overseas, so their relatives and friends' travel was being checked.
One of the people's partners had contact with people who travelled frequently.
Testing for Covid-19 has ramped up, Bloomfield said, as more people returned from overseas, and would continue to do so.
The Ruby Princess cruise ship, which has just arrived in Sydney, had three confirmed Covid-19 cases, and 56 New Zealanders on board are being contacted. Of that total, 28 have already returned to New Zealand.
All of the people on that ship were being considered close contacts and were being monitored daily by health officials.
Bloomfield also said New Zealanders were taking self-isolation seriously.
Note: Due to the double counting of an existing case in Taranaki by the Ministry of Health; the new number of total confirmed cases is now 52, not 53 as previously stated.
Earlier information
Otago and Southland have yet to join northern cities in closing public facilities. Yesterday, Auckland libraries, pools and recreation centres were closed for two weeks and facilities in other cities went into lockdown, as the number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand jumped by 11 to 39.
‘‘Auckland’s circumstances, because of their population size and density, are different from ours,’’ Dunedin City Council chief executive Sue Bidrose said.
‘‘They have a very serious concern that they have multiple cases, many people in isolation, and they simply are not able to do social distancing in their libraries, facilities.
‘‘They are closing for a couple of weeks while they see if they can work that through.’’
With the small number of Covid-19 cases in Dunedin, advice was that city facilities could remain open, Dr Bidrose said.
‘‘In line with everywhere else, we will be constantly reviewing that as our city’s circumstances arise.’’
Invercargill has closed the Splash Palace aquatic facility and cancelled library programmes; the Waitaki District Council yesterday restricted numbers at its aquatic centre to 100 and cancelled all library events and programmes.
The Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed all 150 people tested who had connections with a Logan Park High School pupil with Covid-19 had tested negative.
Those people all remain in self-isolation; the school is expected to reopen on Tuesday after a thorough clean.
No further Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the South yesterday, but health officials did release travel details for a Spanish tourist now recuperating in a comfortable condition in Lakes District Hospital.
The man was in Dunedin Railway Station from noon to 2pm on March 16, and in Lumsden from 6-7pm the following night.
Anyone who was in casual contact with the Spaniard was at low risk of contracting Covid-19, the Southern District Health Board said.
Details also emerged late in the day of five passengers and crew on two cruise ships who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and who had visited Dunedin during their travels.
Ruby Princess, which visited Dunedin on March 12, has since had three Australian passengers and one crew member test positive for Covid-19.
One of yesterday’s confirmed Covid-19 cases, an Auckland man in his 60s, disembarked Celebrity Solstice at Port Chalmers on March 15 and returned separately to Auckland.
The 11 new cases announced yesterday were in Auckland (5), the Waikato (2) Wellington (2), Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
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Comments
Quote- "It is the largest rise in a single day so far - and so far two of the cases have no link to overseas travel."
So now, if ever there was a time, it is NOW. Roll out nationwide TESTING.
How long before we get onto the testing. Cases will continue to double daily, that we have seen before.
A handful of other countries have been doing widespread tests with excellent outcomes.
Why are we wringing caps and hands?
Stop stuffing about, take advice from overseas infectious disease facilities and get the TESTING done before more damage is done.
Or do we brace for months of rolling infection waves? The benefit money and subsidies will run out at some stage. Do we wait to go broke?
So you propose testing the entire population? Or, do you mean once someone shows symptoms? The science suggests no symptoms are present during the infection period. Therefore u r barking up the wrong tree. This is your second post on as many articles. I think you sit down, have a cup of tea and wash your handsies.
It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The horse hasn't bolted, it has moseyed out the door while authorities have waited to see if they can spot a horse outside. OF COURSE we have community transmission... it will have been happening for a week or two if international experience is anything to go by. By failing to act weeks ago to close borders and require distancing, the Government has ensured that we are going to spend the next 12-18 months being pummelled by this virus. It's sad and so damned avoidable.
If they had quarantined the country when there were ZERO cases then we could have carried on economic and social life unaltered, but its a case of too little too late. We now have a situation of recent arrivals slowly and silently spreading the virus around the country. The government is always one step behind, always in reactive mode, which means they are always too late. In Otago harbour there is a place called Quarantine Island where in times past recent at-risk arrivals would stay until passed as healthy. Our forefathers did not let people out into the community to self-isolate. They put a buffer between the community and the recent arrival. People are going to lose their lives due to this incompetence.