Alert Level 2 in Wellington extended 48 hours

Wellington will stay at Alert Level 2 for another 48 hours. The rest of New Zealand remains at Alert Level 1.

It comes as the partner of the Sydney traveller who visited Wellington while Covid-19 positive, has tested positive for the virus. 

They initially tested negative for Covid, however the recent test result showed the original traveller was able to trasmit the virus.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins asked Wellingtonians to double check they weren't in any locations of interest and for those with cold and flu symptoms to get a test. 

Results from wastewater testing showed no Covid detected in Wellington. No community cases were reported. 

Cabinet met today to discuss the developing Covid-19 situation, after the Sydney scare in Wellington, where a traveller from NSW visited over the weekend with Covid-19, plunging the city back into Alert Level 2.

Wellington shifted to Alert Level 2 at 6pm last Wednesday, at the time running through to 11.59pm today, while the rest of the country remained at Alert Level 1. 

Hipkins at the time said it was a precautionary measure. Wellingtonians were waiting with bated breath to find out if the highly transmissible Delta variant, which the traveller was later confirmed to have, had spread in the city. However, despite visiting packed indoor venues, no new cases had been detected.