No new Covid-19 cases in community, three in MIQ

July 24, 2021
People walk past a MIQ facility

There are no new Covid-19 cases in the community, the Ministry of Health says.

However, there are three cases in MIQ.

The ministry said the cases had travelled from the Philippines, Mexico and the UK.

Two arrivals from Russia on Wednesday have been deemed to have historical infections. They were travelling in the same bubble.

Meanwhile, the ministry was encouraging people in Taranaki or those who had visited recently with Covid-19 symptoms to get a test. This is to determine whether there are any undected cases. 

It comes after the virus was detected in wastewater samples in New Plymouth

Additional testing capacity in New Plymouth has been stood up in the city to support potential demand. 

The positive results could be due to recently recovered cases continuing to shed the virus, or could signal undetected cases in the community, the ministry said. 

It said results were expected on Monday from further wastewater sampling carried out today in Taranaki. 

Additional testing is being carried out for a small number of nurses and port workers who may have been in contact with mariners from the Playa Zahara and Viking Bay vessels. 

All tests to date are negative, the ministry said, with two results pending. 

Both vessels recently docked in Port Taranaki but the ministry said the dates of their brief visits and the activity of the crew do not appear to be a factor in the positive wastewater samples.

Yesterday, 19 cases were detected at the border . All of the cases were mariners from the Playa Zahara and Mattina vessels.

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