There are three new community cases of Covid-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's office has confirmed.
That takes the total number of cases to 10. More details on the new cases will be revealed tomorrow, Ardern's office said.
Speaking to Checkpoint, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins also confirmed there had been new cases.
Hipkins said the number of new cases was fewer than 10.
"We're seeing more cases coming through, I don't have details of those cases. But yes, I can confirm that we have further positive test results since the press conference today."
Hipkins also said it was "almost certain" the 58-year-old man is not the index case connected to the border.
"Almost certain they were given Covid-19 by someone else. What we're trying to do is identify how many steps in that chain of transmission there are before we got to the Devonport case."
He added that a decision on vaccinating people under 16 years old for Covid-19 will come soon.
"I'm not announcing something on your show tonight but you can expect to hear more very shortly on that."
Details on the three new cases confirmed tonight are as follows:
- An Auckland man in his 20s. This man is the partner of a known case who was reported as a positive case this morning.
- An Auckland woman in her 60s. Interviews are underway to determine any link to existing cases. This woman has a connection to the border.
- An Auckland woman in her 20s. She has a connection with another case reported today.
The Ministry of Health said nine of the 10 cases have been linked to other community cases and the remaining case has been linked to the border.
It has also been revealed an AUT student who was at a lecture yesterday is among the 10 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the community today.
The AUT student was at a lecture at the school's City Campus between 11.30 and 1pm yesterday.
The school has identified 84 other people who were at the lecture.
Earlier
Earlier today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield gave today's Covid update at the Beehive just after 1pm.
There are now seven cases in the community, with two additional cases to report from the four announced this morning and one yesterday.
A 20-year-old and 19-year-old are the latest cases, and are linked to the other cases.
One of the cases announced this morning is a 25-year-old teacher from Avondale College, and a 29-year-old male flatmate.
Another of the cases announced this morning was a nurse, who worked four shifts without knowing she was infected, Bloomfield said.
"We are absolutely anticipating more cases," Ardern said.
Most of the current cases are in their 20s and "we could expect already between 50 to 120 cases" Bloomfield said. The key is to find them as soon as possible.
The wife of yesterday's case - a Devonport man - has returned a second negative test.
There are also three new cases in managed isolation today.
Auckland Regional Public Health has identified 16 close contacts of the nurse and 14 have already been contacted.
Four of those contacts are fully vaccinated, three have had one dose and the remainder are unvaccinated.
The group of individuals are aged under 30.
Most of the cases identified have been in their 20s and have been "out and about", Bloomfield said.
NZ has not had a NSW Covid-19 case at Auckland City Hospital, Ardern said.
There was one at another hospital - a case was transferred from Jet Park to Middlemore Hospital who travelled from NSW, but this case "doesn't fit with the timeframes" of the current cases, Bloomfield said.
The government announced today is making it mandatory to wear masks while they are visiting essential services, including supermarkets and petrol stations.
Ardern said Cabinet has now confirmed its decision about mask use made earlier this week.
"From 11.59pm tonight, it will be mandatory for everyone aged 12 and over to wear a mask when they are visiting any of the essential services that are currently open, including supermarkets, pharmacies and service stations."
Staff will also be required to wear a mask.
Mandatory mask use will now also include places like bus terminals and taxis.
"Simply put, at level 4 if you are in a place that is allowed to be open to provide services to people, or transport, you must wear a mask."
Two new 'major' locations of interest
Two major new locations of interest are the Auckland Central Church of Christ, that meets in Freemans Bay, and SkyCity Casino. The church had a service on Sunday, Bloomfield said. The visit to SkyCity Casino was Saturday night, possibly into Sunday morning,
"If you were in either of those locations, look out," Bloomfield said.
Contact tracers are reporting that when they are calling people, who have been exposed, they are at home.
"We need you to be at home, not out putting others at risk," said Ardern.
She pointed out that 633 cases were reported in NSW today.
Bloomfield also warned of those who have tested positive so far: "They have been out and about a lot and I am flagging that there will be large numbers of locations of interest."
Avondale College
Ministry of Education staff have been working with Avondale College, Bloomfield said.
A staff member at Avondale College has been confirmed as having Covid-19, the school confirmed in a statement just after 1pm.
"All staff and students of the college are now considered close contacts and must stay in self-isolation at home for 14 days. Even if New Zealand's national alert level changes from the current Level 4, you must still complete your full, 14-day self-isolation."
Bloomfield thanked nursing and midwifery unions for withdrawing strike action scheduled for this week.
There were more than 2000 calls to Healthline overnight.
All testing centres are operating with extended hours until 8pm tonight.
Testing is under way in Thames, Coromandel town, including two pop up testing sites.
Anyone who is symptomatic or been at a location of interest are urged to get tested.
Rosedale wastewater testing results expected later today. Daily testing is taken from that site. Sampling from Whitianga town and other parts of the Coromandel are under way.
Bloomfield said hospitals are open and anyone who needs acute care should seek it. He advised people to ring their GP. Pharmacies are also open under alert level 4.
Genome testing under way
Three positive cases from Sydney went through MIQ in New Zealand in August and genome sequencing is underway on these, the PM said.
The Government will contact all travellers from Australia into New Zealand during the relevant time frame to contact them and to find whether yesterday's case is linked to them.
There were 55,688 doses of the vaccine were given out yesterday - a daily record for the vaccination programme.
Some vaccination in limited sites will restart this afternoon. The whole programme will resume throughout New Zealand from 8am tomorrow.
If your booking has been moved, you will be notified. Otherwise if you're booked for a vaccine in the next three days and you haven't heard anything, please go, Ardern said.
Those aged 40 or over can make online bookings for vaccines from today.
If you've had the vaccine you are less "much less likely to get sick or die" from Covid-19, Ardern said. But she said a few still get infected.
Ardern urged everyone to be cautious, no matter your vaccine status.
People who had flights booked but were not flying were urged to cancel them, rather than just not show up.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told Ardern that New Zealanders' response to the lockdown is "pretty good".
"So long as we are yet to pinpoint the exact source of this case, I cannot hand on heart tell you the South Island is not implicated," Ardern said, "and that's why it will not be treated any differently."
"That's why we all need to be in it together," she said.
The Government expects the wage subsidy to be used for employers to pay staff over lockdown, in order to prevent staff being told to take leave over this time.
Ardern called Cook Islands Prime Minister Brown yesterday and says they are working on their own testing regime. They are happy for people to stay in the Cook Islands, Ardern said, but not happy for more people to enter.
- additional reporting RNZ
Related Stories
Comments
Where are you supposed to even buy masks from if you cant visit essential services to buy some without one? what about people who cant afford masks? do they just starve?
This is not a time to cavil.
This is a time to co operate and work it out.
What rock have you been hiding under? The world has been hit by a pandemic. Through excellent management NZ has avoided the bullet but every legitimate expert in the country, the scientists, have been saying it's not if NZ will get hit if but when. The media has been full of it. Most people I know have been preparing for it. They've bought hand sanitiser, they've bought gloves, they've bought masks, they've put a few extra tins of baked beans aside in the pantry in anticipation of the inevitable. How did you miss out on all of this.
I bet you haven't been using the tracer app either? I bet you haven't kept a record of the places you visited. I bet you don't check out the lists of places of interest. I bet when it hits you you'll be crying, "Why me? Why me?"
The "rock" I guess was my disbelief that our country could ever descend into such an authoritarian state.
You can probably get them shipped. Or can make one, won't be perfect but will be enough to go to the supermarket to buy some. It should have been made clear in the govt covid health guidelines to always keep a few masks in person, although it should be really common sense for most people.
It is a dire situation. It would be a great deal better if we had 95% of the population vaccinated by now, so even with a less strict border regime we would have less to worry. Given that less than 50% of the population is vaccinated, the strict lockdown is the right call.
" I cannot hand on heart tell you the South Island is not implicated, and that's why it will not be treated any differently." And when?, will it statistically seem there are no cases in the South Island and those going thru cancer diagnostics and other diagnostics and treatment be taken off the Covid induced back burner shelf and be allowed to have their clocks reset to progressing their fight against the clock of their health conditions?
Are you saying there is a relegation of medical procedures due to the pandemic?