Police pledge action on Level 3 breaches

POLICE are warning of a crackdown on Level 3 breaches as community testing ramps up in the South this week.

Since the introduction of Level 3 restrictions, police have received 1200 reports of mass gatherings nationwide to the 105 breach notification line.

Acting assistant commissioner Scott Fraser said under no circumstances should anyone be having a party during Level 3.

‘‘Now is not the time to be complacent and we know from the volume of people reporting these parties and gatherings that they don’t want to lose all the gains made in the collective effort to beat Covid19.’’

Police would prioritise reports of gatherings of 10 or more people and appropriate enforcement action would be taken.

The warning came as the Ministry of Health announced two new cases of Covid19 yesterday, both of which were linked to the St Margaret’s Hospital and Rest Home cluster in Auckland.

Six cases and one death — that of Rosewood Rest Home resident George Hollings, who was in his 80s and who had been transferred to Burwood Hospital

— were announced on Saturday.

Yesterday marked 15 days of no new confirmed or probable cases in the Southern District Health Board area.

Of the South’s 216 cases, nine were active.

Testing in the South is also expected to ramp up again this week.

WellSouth medical director Stephen Graham said a swabbing test would take place at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff today and Murihiku Marae in Invercargill on Wednesday.

It was ‘‘hard to know’’ how many people would be part of the testing, but he hoped about 100 in Bluff and 60 in Invercargill.

‘‘We are testing asymptomatic people to make sure there isn't an unknown community transmission among the highrisk groups.’’

The first round of tests at marae in the South started last week at Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki marae in Karitane, where 37 people were swabbed.

WellSouth also conducted tests on 340 workers at the Alliance meat processing plant at Lorneville, 340 people at Pak’nSave in Queenstown and 243 residents in hostel and backpacker accommodation, also in Queenstown.

Dr Graham said the testing gave health officials a ‘‘reasonable understanding’’ of the community situation.

‘‘People are really keen to help. It is a battle that we are all in together.’’

Tests would be also carried out at the Pukeuri meat works, near Oamaru, tomorrow.