Watch Live: Prime Minister gives update on positive community Covid-19 case
New Zealand will move to Alert Level Four lockdown for a period of three days from 11.59pm due to a new Covid-19 case in the Auckland community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a press conference this evening.
The positive case was identified this afternoon and no link to the border or managed isolation has yet been established.
The All-of-Government response group started meeting at 3pm. Cabinet then received an officials' briefing, including advice on what measures are needed, at 4.30pm.
Ardern said the positive case could not be confirmed as Delta until genome sequencing was confirmed tomorrow, but every recent MIQ case has been Delta.
"While we cannot confirm it yet, we need to assume our case will be too."
She said that has shaped this evening's decisions.
Dr Bloomfield said he was told of the case just after midday.
The 58-year-old Devonport man tested positive for COVID-19 today. He attended his GP on Monday (16 August) after feeling unwell and was tested.
The man became symptomatic on Saturday (14 August) and was likely infectious since Thursday (12 August).
The man is not vaccinated but was actively attempting to book a vaccine. His partner is fully vaccinated and has returned a negative COVID-19 result.
Both the case and his partner are currently self-isolating at home and will be transferred to an Auckland quarantine facility.
ESR is currently carrying out urgent genome sequencing for the case, with results expected overnight. This will provide us with more information, however, we are assuming this is the delta variant.
Public health officials have been conducting interviews to help establish how this new case was infected and further details of his movements. However, at this point, there is no obvious link between this case and the border.
As of Tuesday evening, two people who work with the man are being treated as close contacts and are self-isolating, but this number is likely to grow as more information is gathered.
Locations of interest
On Friday (13 August), the man travelled from Devonport to Coromandel with his partner, returning on Sunday (15 August).
The man was a frequent user of the COVID tracer app, which has assisted public health officials in identifying locations of interests in the Coromandel and Auckland, including a café and a bar.
Details of the locations of interest identified to date are available on Ministry’s website, which will be update progressively as further locations of interest are identified. At this stage there are more than 20 exposure events where the case could have had contact with people. Some of these exposure events are expected to involve only a small number of people, who will be contacted directly. Any exposure sites that are upgraded to public locations of interest will be updated on the Ministry’s website.
The Ministry’s website will also include advice on what to do if you were at any of these locations at the time when you could potentially have been exposed. Text message alerts are currently being sent to people who scanned in using the COVID-19 Tracer App at locations during the relevant times.
Please call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 if you were potentially exposed and for advice on testing.
Testing in Auckland and Coromandel
Metropolitan Auckland Community Testing Centres were open till 8pm tonight (they usually close at 4.30pm).
DHBs are working on additional testing on the North Shore and the Coromandel tomorrow.
For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit https://www.arphs.health.nz/ and all testing locations nationwide, visit the Healthpoint website.
Healthcare facilities remain open. The Ministry is reminding people if they are unwell to seek treatment promptly. Travel for health treatment is allowed under COVID-19 alert level four.
The most recent wastewater testing result for the North Shore was 11 August, which was negative. A sample taken yesterday is being analysed and we will have results tomorrow. Daily sampling will now be undertaken, and we are looking at the possibility of sampling in the Coromandel.
Vaccination centres
The vaccination programme will pause while arrangements for under alert level 4 are put in place.
People who have appointments that are affected will hear from us soon to provide information on rebooking. You will be contacted directly as soon as possible if your vaccine requires rebooking. Everyone who has a booking in the system will still get vaccinated.
