No new cases of Covid-19 recorded in New Zealand today

There are no new cases of Covid-19 recorded in New Zealand today. 

That means zero new cases in the community or at the border.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed the news this afternoon at a press conference. 

It comes as Bloomfield announced one community case yesterday: A man who works in ports in New Zealand, including in the last two weeks at ports in Auckland and Taranaki.

He was regularly tested as part of border testing working in the shipping industry as a marine electronics engineer.

Bloomfield said the fact that there were no new cases today was reassuring because it included testing from the man's close contacts.

So far, the man's close contacts at his workplace and two out of four of his household contacts have returned negative tests, he said.

The tests for the two remaining household contacts are still to come, Bloomfield said.

He said genome sequencing on the man's infection "fits with the scenario that this case is effectively a new border incursion, rather than being a community case of unknown origin”.

The strain of the man's virus had not been seen in New Zealand before, he said.

Bloomfield said it was "particularly reassuring" that the case wasn't connected to Auckland's August outbreak.

This morning, Bloomfield said a ship bound for Brisbane is believed to be the most likely source of transmission.

The man returned a negative test on October 2 but felt unwell on Friday October 16 and, after contacting Healthline, took a Covid-19 test which returned a positive result on Saturday afternoon.

Bloomfield said yesterday there was no need for regional lockdowns due to the low risk of community transmission in New Plymouth or Auckland.

The man’s household contacts are self-isolating, and other close contacts are being investigated. 

Five more people have recovered from Covid-19. New Zealand now has 37 active cases, Bloomfield said.