Bloomfield details additional legal requirements for some Covid contacts past Sunday's alert level change

March 5, 2021

The Director-General of Health has issued a legal order to make sure people who need to stay at home do.

The Director-General of Health today has issued a legal order to make sure people who need to continue to stay at home do so, even as alert levels are dropped. 

The Prime Minister announced today Auckland will move from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2 at 6am on Sunday. The rest of the country will move to Alert Level 1 at the same time. 

But a number of people still need to stay home beyond Sunday as they await further Covid-19 tests, Dr Ashley Bloomfield said.

They include those who were at the City Fitness Gym at Hunter’s Plaza at the same time as a Covid-19 case. The times in question are February 25 between 11.15am to 1.45pm and February 26 on 3.25pm to 4.30pm.

People who have been contacted by a health official and told they are either a close plus, close or casual plus contact for this latest outbreak are also included.

PM Jacinda Ardern has announced that Auckland will shift from Level 3 lockdown this weekend.

Bloomfield said these groups will legally be required to comply with a section 70 order under the Health Act to isolate at home, get tested for Covid-19 when told and remain isolated until further direction.

“Public health officials will also discuss with these people the support they require to help them meet these requirements,” Bloomfield said. 

The move comes as the latest lockdown was triggered because people who were meant to stay at home didn’t.

It comes after NZ’s largest city was plunged into Level 3 restrictions on Sunday morning.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she didn't believe anyone had deliberately tried to flout health officials' advice.

She said she wanted to take “every opportunity” to make sure the particular requirements on certain people were well-communicated.

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