Nine new Covid cases isolated

There were nine new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand yesterday, all in managed isolation, as Kiwis returned from abroad before Christmas.

There were no new community cases, the Ministry of Health reported in a statement.

There are 50 active cases in New Zealand.

A total of 6504 tests were conducted yesterday.

Yesterday’s cases among recent returnees were from eight countries.

“Mandatory isolation and testing will continue to be of critical importance as high numbers of New Zealanders return home before the holiday period,” the ministry said.

On Saturday, a new case emerged from the Defence Force cluster, taking its total to six. The new case was a close contact of the Defence Force civilian worker who tested positive this month.

The ministry said the latest case in the Defence Force cluster — the sixth case so far, or Case F — had been genome sequenced, confirming a direct link to the cluster.

Case F has been in isolation since November 7 and is a close contact of Case B, a Defence Force civilian worker who caught Covid-19 from a Defence Force serviceman working at the Jet Park quarantine facility in Auckland.

The person is a border worker who has been isolating in a managed isolation facility for 10 days as a precaution, and isolated at home before that.

They had tested negative after five days in isolation, and were tested again around day 12. A positive test was reported on Saturday.

The ministry encouraged anyone who visited a location of interest during the relevant time period for the Defence Force cluster to get tested.

Two pop-up testing stations are operating in central and east Auckland: one on High St and one at 292A Botany Rd (Spectrum House). Both locations are walk-in and don’t require a pre-booked appointment.

Five other new cases were reported yesterday but they were all imported cases contained in managed isolation or quarantine facilities.