Herald on Sunday

Big crowd at Covid rally

Thousands gather at Aotea Sq and two schoolgirl­s test positive

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Two girls between 10 and 14 years old are the latest confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

The cases are associated with the bereavemen­t sub-cluster, which is linked to the Mt Roskill Evangelica­l Fellowship group.

One of girls is a pupil of Sunnyvale School in West Auckland, which will open tomorrow despite the positive case.

Cabinet will tomorrow review the Covid-19 alert level, with any changes to be made from Wednesday at 11.59pm.

There are now 63 people linked to the community cluster who are in the Auckland quarantine facility;

47 of whom have tested positive for Covid-19. The total number of active cases is now 108.

Three people were in hospital with Covid-19 yesterday, one in intensive care at North Shore, one at Waikato Hospital and the third in isolation on a ward in Auckland Hospital.

The Sunnyvale School pupil who tested positive didn’t attend while infectious and Auckland Regional Public Health Service has not identified

any close contacts.

The school is deemed safe to attend, but it will be deep cleaned as a precaution, parents, caregivers, and staff were told via Facebook.

Meanwhile a protest of a few thousand people in downtown Auckland

yesterday afternoon took aim at the Government’s use of lockdown and other Covid-19 restrictio­ns.

The protest, organised by Advance Party co-leaders Jami-Lee Ross and Billy Te Kahika, made its way down Queen St before returning to Aotea Square.

There was little social distancing and few masks worn during the event.

A number of police were present but refused to comment on social distancing concerns.

A woman jailed for breaking out of a managed isolation facility with her children in July to attend a tangi, was at the event.

“If they can imprison a mother of four young children, they can imprison any old one of you . . . they’re tyrants, wha¯nau,” said Te Kahika.

 ?? Photos / Peter Meecham ?? Luke Kirkness
Billy Te Kahika speaks to an anti-lockdown rally in central Auckland.
Photos / Peter Meecham Luke Kirkness Billy Te Kahika speaks to an anti-lockdown rally in central Auckland.
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