Two new cases identified
Health Minister David Clark resigns, replaced by Chris Hipkins until September election
There were two new Covid cases — both in managed isolation and quarantine facilities — in New Zealand yesterday. Overall there were 18 active cases while six people had recently recovered.
The first new case is a man in his 30s who arrived in New Zealand on June 27 from California.
He had been staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland and was transferred to Jet Park Hotel on June 30 after developing symptoms and testing positive.
The second is a woman in her 30s who arrived in New Zealand on June 21 from Kenya, via Doha and Brisbane.
She is the wife of a previously reported case.
She had been staying at the Novotel Ellerslie and is now at Jet Park Hotel. She tested positive after developing symptoms around day 10 of her stay.
One person is in Auckland City Hospital in a stable condition.
The Ministry of Health says just one significant cluster remains open.
New Zealand now has a total of 1180 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
In recent weeks the Government has stepped up security at the border, drafting in military personnel and Avsec staff to oversee managed isolation facilities.
In a lapse in testing protocols, more than 1000 people left quarantine without a negative test last month.
And 294 people who checked out of managed isolation facilities in June without a test still have not been tracked down.
“We ask this group of people to take responsibility for confirming whether they have been tested by making contact with Healthline,” the Ministry of Health said.
“As needed we will refer people we do not make contact with to finding services.
“Forty eight of these had invalid phone numbers, so have already been referred.
The health ministry said because people in this group were in isolation facilities for two weeks, and had now been out of isolation for more than two weeks, they posed a very low risk to the community.
Director general of Health Ashley Bloomfield said today would be the last day he would give daily reports on the numbers identified as having left isolation after June 9 without a test — the date on which day three and day 12 testing was supposed to have started.
Of the 1359, most have been contacted and tested negative or referred for a test; 142 will not be tested including 84 who have refused a test; and 367 people have not responded to repeated contact.
Our borders remained closed to all but Kiwis. Bloomfield warned a recent spike of cases in Melbourne proved just how community transmission in the future is a real possibility here.
Meanwhile, Health Minister David Clark has resigned as Health Minister after he became an “unhelpful distraction” in the fight against Covid-19.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accepted his resignation and said it was “essential our health leadership has the confidence of the New Zealand public”.
Clark said it had been an “extraordinary privilege” and he had given the role his all.
But continuing was distracting from the Government’s Covid response, he said.
He wasn’t pushed, he said. “The decision was mine.”
He said the team had to come first and the Covid response was too important, so he had made the call to step aside.
The Prime Minister said in a statement that “David Clark contacted me yesterday to confirm his wish to resign as a Minister and I accepted that resignation”.
“David has come to the conclusion his presence in the role is creating an unhelpful distraction from the Government’s ongoing response to Covid19 and wider health reforms,” Ardern said.
“I am appointing Chris Hipkins as Health Minister until the election.”
— NZ Herald
All keys must now be removed from police cars after a man stole two police Glock pistols in Gore last year. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that had police removed the keys from their cars the pistols inside wouldn’t have been stolen. The man was arrested three days later but one pistol didn’t surface for three months. Southern District Commander Superintendent Paul Basham says although the officer didn’t breach policy — his actions enabled the offender to steal the vehicle and the firearms. Vehicle security training is being developed for all frontline staff.