Aucklanders are on edge once again as another mystery case of Covid-19 emerges in the community.
As authorities race to trace the source of the new infection, workers in the city’s CBD are being asked to stay home today, while tenants at the Vincent Residences apartment building have also been told to isolate and get tested for the virus.
The new Covid case took multiple Uber rides and visited several locations while infectious, including her place of work, A-Z Collections on High St, where she continued in her customer-facing role while awaiting her test results.
The woman says she called into work to tell them she was unwell and had been tested for Covid-19 but came to the store and wore a mask for her shift following a conversation with her manager. The co-owners of A-Z Collections have disputed this version of events .
The big questions now centre on how this new community case contracted the virus and whether a move back up the alert levels is required to manage the potential wider outbreak.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says results from genome sequencing are expected back today and will help inform Cabinet’s decision about alert levels this afternoon.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told RNZ it would be “good news” if authorities can trace the origins of this latest case.
“If they don't know where it's come from, that puts us in a rather serious position,” he said.
Goff says some large-scale events in Auckland might need to be scaled down in that instance.
Several city venues are already temporarily closed , while Auckland University has decided to hold its scheduled exams online today.
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November cluster grows
Meanwhile, a third Defence Force staff member has contracted Covid-19 after dining with colleagues at a central Wellington restaurant. This latest case was already in quarantine when they tested positive for the virus.
And with the emergence of new community cases in both Auckland and Wellington, questions again turn to how best to combat the virus.
Prior to yesterday’s news about Auckland’s new case, public health experts Siouxsie Wiles and Michael Baker told Newsroom they want the Government to mandate the wearing of masks and the scanning of QR codes if Kiwis continue to be complacent.
Wiles says wearing masks on public transport and using the Covid tracer app are habits that need to be in place “for the next year or so”.
“If mandating is the only way that people will do it, then I think we have to start thinking about that," Wiles says.
Tackling the housing headache
ASB is moving to increase the minimum deposit investors need to buy a house, in a move to support first home buyers.
The bank now requires investors to stump up a 30 per cent deposit instead of 20 per cent, saying “a balanced and sustainable housing market is in the best interests of all New Zealanders”.
The move comes as new REINZ data shows the country’s median house price continues to soar, with Auckland’s median house price hitting $1 million in October.
REINZ says it “raises serious questions around future affordability for Auckland residents wanting to get a foot on the property ladder”.
A South Auckland councillor says the rampant house price increases will likely force more families to sleep in cars , while a Māori housing advocacy group told RNZ the significant jump in house prices pushes home ownership further away for Māori. The group is calling for targeted Māori housing policies .
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she doesn’t want New Zealand to become a place where home ownership depends on whether somebody’s parents can fork out a deposit.
She says ensuring first home buyers can get into the market is “top of mind” for the Government .
The Green Party, meanwhile, says the Government needs to use levers , such as taxes on capital gains and wealth, to cool the housing market.
White House standoff continues
US President Donald trump has made his first official public appearance since his election loss.
He marked Veterans Day with a solemn visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. He remained silent at the ceremony before returning to Twitter to continue his claims of election fraud.
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden also marked Veterans Day and continued to assemble his team for tackling the spiralling coronavirus outbreak across the US.
One of Biden’s advisors has called for a New Zealand-style nationwide lockdown to bring the situation under control.
Town froths over beer move
West Coast locals are furious DB Breweries is proposing to end the production of Monteith's beer in Greymouth .
The company wants to cut seven roles at its Greymouth facility and move all commercial beer production to other centres.
The brand has long traded on its West Coast roots and locals say this latest proposal is a slap in the face.
DB says only 0.1 per cent of its production comes from the West Coast and the company needs to reduce costs, but Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson is appealing to the company to allow brewing to continue.
Other news of note this morning:
- A person has died after their powered parachute crashed last night.
- Otago Regional Council is hunting for the source of a large diesel spill into the South Dunedin stormwater network.
- A Lake Ōhau resident says thousands of dollars’ worth of native plants and 80 predator traps went up in smoke when fire tore through the village last month.
- Two people have been arrested after more than 1500 garments were stolen from the Trelise Cooper styling room last month.
- The developers of Sputnik V, Russia's experimental Covid-19 vaccine, say early data suggests their shot is 92 per cent effective.
- Auckland Council has warned dog owners to be wary of toxic sea slugs after reports of pets becoming unwell at North Shore beaches.
- And in another very 2020 move, a combination of Covid-19 and TikTok has breathed new life into an old sport - roller skating .
And finally...
If anyone needs a pick-me-up this morning (which would be all of us), may I suggest Laura Daniel’s chat with the stars of new Australian movie, Rams.
The Seven Sharp reporter spoke to actors Sam Neill and Michael Caton about the film, in which they play brothers at war over their separate flocks of sheep.
They manage to bring the bickering to this interview , too, but thankfully, the usual Kiwi sheep jokes are kept to a minimum.
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