Residents of an Auckland CBD apartment block where a newly-diagnosed Covid-19 case lives allegedly mixed with people in managed isolation after a fire alarm at the isolation hotel earlier this week.
This afternoon the Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the new case - an AUT student who lives and works in the city.
But the city remains at level 1 as Ministry of Health and government officials seek more information.
The new case lives at the Vincent Residence, next door to the Grand Millennium; a managed isolation hotel.
On Monday night the Grand Millennium managed isolation hotel was evacuated after a fire alarm, and a resident from the Vincent Residence said there was open mixing from people staying at both locations.
But that was after the latest community case first reported symptoms.
The head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, said he was confident the integrity of the isolation facility was not compromised during the fire alarm.
He disputed claims that those in managed isolation had "freely mixed and mingled" with members of the public.
MIQ staff and hotel security had worked in conjunction with police to ensure all guests evacuated the premises safely and were contained in the identified assembly areas outside the hotel, he said.
"The safety of our staff and returnees is our top priority to ultimately ensure the safety of our community," Webb said.
"Throughout the situation, NZDF staff, wearing high visibility vests, assisted hotel security and MIQ staff in cordoning all guests in the allocated assembly areas. Guests were continuously monitored and contained. Staff ensured returnees were social distancing, face coverings were worn and that bubbles were maintained."
All MIQ facilities operated in an alert level 4 environment, Webb said.
"In evacuation situations where guests need to come outside strict infection prevention controls, developed by the Ministry of Health, are followed to manage the risks of spreading COVID-19. These protocols include use of PPE and masks and physical distancing rules."
New case a woman aged 20-29
The new case, a woman aged between 20 and 29, became symptomatic on the morning of November 9 and was tested on the 10th.
The positive test was confirmed this morning and the woman has been moved to quarantine today.
Health officials are going through the woman's movements to contact trace and try to ascertain the source of the infection.
The woman lives alone, has limited community outings and is a student at AUT but hasn't been to classes since mid-October so there isn't a concern of transmission on campus.
She works at the A-Z Collections store in High St.
People who have visited the store at 61 High St and residents or visitors to Vincent St Residences at 106 Vincent St in Auckland CBD between Saturday and today should isolate and get a test as a precaution.
Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said officials were "urgently working" to work out where the woman was infected and are doing genome testing.
Bloomfield said he didn't want to pass judgement on the woman who got the test but then didn't stay home and didn't have information on whether she was advised to stay home.
There is no review of alert level settings at this stage, said Bloomfield.
Sites of pop-up testing stations will be advised later today.
Hipkins stressed "we are in the early days" of information coming through and more information would be given as it came to hand.
He said the response needed to be calm and methodical and that information would be shared as quickly as it could be.
He repeated the message that "people are not the problem, they are the solution".
He urged anyone in Auckland with cold and flu symptoms to stay home and get a test.
Anyone using public transport or flying in and out of Auckland should wear a mask and observe social distancing, Hipkins said.
Hipkins said there was not enough information at this time to make a decision on alert level changes in Auckland.
The owner of A-Z Collections on High St said they were alerted about the case by the Ministry of Health this morning.
"It was really a shock, I have no idea how it happened."
The man, who did not want to be named, said he and all his staff had been tested this morning and were awaiting results.
He and his staff all wore masks, and none had experienced any symptoms, so he believed the chance of any infection was very low.
They were following all instructions from the Ministry, he said, including closing the store for desanitation.
They were hoping to be able to reopen tomorrow.
Three new cases today
Bloomfield said there were three new cases today, including the case with no link to the border.
One is connected to the November quarantine cluster and has been in isolation since Saturday. The latest case is a close contact of a defence force worker who tested positive for Covid-19.
One case was detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility.
They arrived on November 9 from Los Angeles. They returned a positive test around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation and have been moved to the Auckland quarantine facility.
Officials urgently trying to track down source of new case
Health officials are going through the woman's movements to contact trace and try to ascertain the source of the infection.
The woman lives alone, has limited community outings and is a student at AUT and hasn't been to classes since mid-October so there isn't a concern of transmission on campus
People who have visited A-Z Collections store at 61 High St and a resident or visitor to Vincent St Residences at 106 Vincent St between Saturday and today should isolate and get a test as a precaution.
The lights were out and a lock placed across the doors of A-Z Collection on Thursday afternoon and there was no sign of staff inside.
There was also no sign posted on the store windows or door to indicate it had been subject to a Covid-19 health scare.
The Ministry of Health has asked anyone who visited the A-Z Collections store during the following times to isolate and call Healthline to arrange a Covid-19 test "as soon as possible".
• Sunday, November 8, 10:30am - 6:30pm
• Monday, November 9, 10:30am - 6:30pm
• Wednesday, November 11, 10:20am - 6:30pm
A clothing and skateboard store next door called Prior had also put up a temporarily closed sign on its door.
Staff inside could all be seen wearing masks. They then turned out the store lights.
A spokesman from The Vincent Residences says health officials have been in touch to say one of their tenants has the virus but they have not been told to lock down.
Connor Chambers had just popped out from the apartments at 106 Vincent St for a coffee only, to return to see media cameras and find out there had reportedly been a positive case in his complex.
He said there were 15 storeys at the complex and potentially 16 apartments on each floor.
There was a shared gym, sauna and swimming pool in the building.
"Fortunately I haven't used that in the past week," he said.
He said it was concerning to hear about the case but he feared more for the elderly residents, saying many were migrants.
An AUT spokesperson said health authorities have told the university it doesn't need to take any specific actions because the student hasn't attended classes recently.
"We will just be reassuring everyone and making sure they keep up all the usual precautions," she said.
"We will keep working closely with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service as they work through it."
Quarantine cluster case
The latest case of the November cluster is a member of the defence force and went to the Little Penang lunch outing.
Anyone who visited that restaurant last Friday between 1 and 4pm should be "very aware" of symptoms and get a test if needed, said Bloomfield. All of the person's household contacts are isolating.
Bloomfield urged Kiwis to continue to use the Covid Tracer app as you never know when or where the information would be needed.
