There is one new case of Covid-19 in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility and no new cases in the community since the Ministry’s last update yesterday.

The new case arrived on May 28 from India via Qatar. 

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is one. The total number of active cases in New Zealand today is 17. Our total number of confirmed cases is 2,317.

Since 1 January 2021, there have been 64 historical cases, out of a total of 501 cases.

Update on travellers from Victoria
Of the 4,539 people who flew from Melbourne Airport to New Zealand between May 20-25, the Ministry’s contact tracing team has now contacted all but 13 travellers. The remaining 13 people have been referred to people-finding services.

All of these travellers are being instructed to get a test and self-isolate at home or in the accommodation they are staying in until they have a negative result.

Anyone who has been in Victoria since May 11 needs to keep checking the Victorian Government website as locations of interest are being continually added. If they have been at a location of interest, they should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for further. Locations of interest can be found here: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites

All testing for people who have been in Melbourne is free under the Section 70 notice, regardless of whether or not people are symptomatic. This includes for visitors to New Zealand. For testing locations in Auckland, visit Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS). For all testing locations nationwide visit the Healthpoint website.

As of this morning, 2,237 travellers and 178 aircrew had returned negative tests. That represents 49.3 per cent of this group. Many of the remaining 2,302 test results are expected to be received today.

"It’s important to note that not everyone in this group will be tested in New Zealand as some are infants and others have already returned to Australia," a spokesperson said.

Under the current Section 70 notice, travellers wanting to return to Melbourne are not permitted to do so until they have returned a negative test result.

"The Melbourne cluster reinforces the critical importance of everyone in New Zealand keeping a record of where they have been by scanning QR codes or keeping a manual diary of their movements. It can help contact tracers quickly find potential close and casual contacts if there is a positive Covid-19 case in New Zealand."

Possible symptoms of variant being found in Melbourne
The variant of Covid-19 being found in Melbourne is the B.1.617.1 variant which was first reported in India. It is considered more infectious than the original variant.

The typical symptoms to look out for include:
· a new or worsening cough
· fever (at least 38˚C)
· shortness of breath
· a sore throat
· sneezing and runny nose
· temporary loss of smell.

Some people may present with atypical symptoms, with or without typical symptoms. These include new onset of:
· fever
· diarrhoea
· headache
· myalgia (muscle pain)
· nausea/vomiting
· confusion/irritability.

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