Number of contacts isolating in South Island climbs over 350

The number of people self-isolating in the South Island due to being a contact of the Covid-19...
The number of people self-isolating in the South Island due to being a contact of the Covid-19 Delta outbreak has grown to more than 350. Photo: NZ Herald
The number of people self-isolating in the South Island due to being a contact of the Covid-19 Delta outbreak has grown to more than 350.

The nationwide list of contacts has reached 8647 - most of them close contacts - that have yet to be formally contacted.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said as of 8am yesterday, 358 individuals are currently isolating in the South Island.

The majority of these, 193, are in Canterbury. As of yesterday there were 109 in Otago and Southland, 36 in the Nelson Marlborough area, 13 in South Canterbury and 7 on the West Coast.

A heat map showing known contacts of existing Covid cases produced earlier this week. Source:...
A heat map showing known contacts of existing Covid cases produced earlier this week. Source: Ministry of Health
The spokesperson said they expect the numbers of identified contacts to continue to rise across the coming days.

The number of contacts in Otago and Southland has grown further since yesterday, with the Southern District Health Board telling the Otago Daily Times this morning there were now more than 120 self-isolating in the two regions.

On Monday, there were only 120 contacts identified across the entire South Island.

Yesterday, it was revealed Covid-19 has been detected in Christchurch's wastewater.

The virus was detected in samples collected on August 21 and 23 after previous negative results.

There are at least three positive cases in MIQ facilities in Christchurch currently and the results were consistent with virus shedding from those cases, a Ministry of Health spokesperson said.

The samples were taken from the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bromley, where all of the city's wastewater goes.

Cabinet will today decide whether to change the alert level 4 restrictions in place until 11.59pm tonight for the country, aside from Auckland. New Zealand's biggest city is in lockdown until 11.59pm on Tuesday, with the strong likelihood this will extend.

Experts are urging a few more days in lockdown across the country as part of a "cautious approach" to containing the Delta outbreak.

Epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker said there was still a risk the virus could be incubating outside Auckland and Wellington.