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No new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, four cases at the border

November 9, 2020

A new cluster has emerged after a NZDF employee contracted coronavirus at Auckland’s Jet Park Hotel quarantine facility.

There are no new cases of Covid-19 in the community today in New Zealand today, but four new cases were recorded at the border.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed these latest Covid-19 figures in a press conference at 1pm today.

The zero community cases today comes after the emergence of the November quarantine cluster, which started when a Defence Force member (case A) working at the Jet Park Hotel in Auckland contracted the virus.

Genome sequencing shows case A in the November quarantine cluster is linked to two returnees who are part of a family group in Auckland.

“While we have not yet determined the source of the exposure, it does confirm that this infection has risen in the course of their work at the facility not more widely in the community,” Bloomfield said.

“Our investigation is ongoing as to the actual source of the infection.”

Of the 242 people who stay in accommodation with case A in Auckland, 239 had already returned negative tests for Covid-19. The remaining three people’s tests are pending.

Case A had 25 close contacts with 23 of them returning negative tests. One test is pending with the 25th person, dubbed case B, having tested positive, which was announced yesterday.

Case B has 55 close contacts, 32 of which have returned negative tests.

The others had not been tested, Dr Bloomfield said.

“They will be tested at around day four or five, some are self-isolating at home while others are also in the quarantine facility because of the nature of their work.”

Case B’s three household contacts have returned negative test results. They will remain in isolation for the full 14-day period.

Two of those household contacts are students in Lower Hutt which attend Boulcott Primary and Hutt Intermediate.

Staff and parents at the schools will receive a letter but the risk is considered low.

Nine close contacts of case B were on Air NZ flight NZ457 from Auckland to Wellington on Thursday, seven had returned negative tests with the remaining two results pending.

The close contacts were sitting in close proximity to case B.

A person described as a "casual contact" of case B by Bloomfield is feeling unwell and is being tested.

The casual contact is reported to have attended a recent meeting in Kawhia, along with members of the Otorohanga College community. Their test result is expected today with public health staff having been in contact with the school. 

Case A met with case B on Wednesday, who flew back to Wellington on Thursday, visiting a number of venues at Auckland Airport on Thursday, and a Wellington restaurant the following day, before their infection was detected. 

The first of the four cases at the border arrived on October 27 from Austria via Qatar and Australia and tested positive on day 12 of their stay in managed isolation

The second and third cases travelled together, arriving on November 5 from Dubai.

The fourth case also arrived on November 5, from Qatar. All four of them are in managed isolation facilities in Auckland.

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