KFC staffer who ignored isolation call riles Ardern

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is frustrated that the latest Covid-19 community case went to work instead of isolating at home.

Despite being told to stay home and isolate, the person — a family member of one of the Covid-positive Papatoetoe High School students — worked at KFC Botany on Monday.

Asked if this person should have been at home at the time, Ardern said yesterday: “Yes, they should have. They were always told that they weren’t meant to be operating in a level 2 environment.

“They were still required to stay at home and be tested.”

When she learned the person, who the Ministry of Health is calling case L, had worked, Ardern said she was, “like everyone, frustrated”.

“We want people to do the right thing because that’s what keeps everyone safe.”

Despite this, she is warning against a “mass pile [on]” of the person, as that mighty create an environment in which people are afraid to get tested.

She is asking for everyone who may have come into contact with the new case to “do the right thing” and isolate. And if they don’t, she is sounding a warning — “there is a section 70 order”. That order means a medical officer of health can require people to isolate.

“We have some legal footing for that . . . and so there are repercussions,” Ardern said.

But she does not want it to come to that. Instead, she wants people to “do the right thing” and self-isolate if they meet the new isolation criteria.

“That is how the rest of the country is able to stay at level 1 with all their freedoms.”

The new community case went to work at the Botany Downs KFC between 3.30pm on Monday, February 22, and 12.30am on Tuesday, February 23.

Some 11 KFC staff, who were at work at the same time, are considered “close plus” contacts. That means they have to get a Covid test and isolate for 14 days along with everyone in their household.

Any members of the public who were in the KFC between 3.30pm Monday and 12.30am Tuesday are considered close contacts and should isolate at home for 14 days and get a test. And anyone who went through the KFC drive-thru during the same period should now be isolating at home until they return a negative test on day five.

As the potential exposure was on Tuesday, day five is today — people are advised to get a test today and remain in isolation until it’s confirmed as negative.

Ardern said these isolation measures went further than the usual practice.

“And that’s for the very reason because that leaves the rest of the country able to stay at level 1.”

A KFC spokesperson said the Botany site was operating at level 2.5 conditions during the times in question.

“As soon as we were notified, the store immediately closed for a deep clean and all staff that worked during this time have been asked to selfisolate and get tested.”

The Covid-19-infected KFC worker is part of the now 12-strong Valentine’s Day cluster.

They are a household contact of: Case I, the Papatoetoe High School student who tested positive for the virus this week; Case J, who had been at work at Kmart in Botany and; Case K, an infant sibling. Case I was the first to test positive on Tuesday, the day after yesterday’s case went to work at KFC.

But advice from officials has been for all household contacts of all Papatoetoe High School students to stay home until they receive a negative result — hence Ardern’s frustration yesterday.

The family was yet to be tested as of Monday.

Despite this, Ardern was sure the cluster was contained: “This is a situation where we know the source of the cases [and] we know where there may have been contact with others.”

But she said contact tracing and “people’s compliance” was crucial, going forward.

Meanwhile, health officials have broadened their net in the search for “close plus” contacts at the Botany Kmart where case J worked.

This person was at work before advice was given for all household contacts of any Papatoetoe student to stay isolated.

There are now 32 close plus members of staff — more than doubled from Thursday, when the number was 15.

All these people had been contacted and were self-isolating, the ministry said.

So far, 24 test results from this group have come back negative.

The Ministry of Health has been contacted by 1742 people who have reported being at the store at the times of interest.