No new Covid-19 cases to report in the community, four at the border ahead of trans-Tasman travel bubble opening

April 18, 2021

There are four new Covid-19 cases to report in managed isolation at the border over the past two days as the trans-Tasman travel bubble opens overnight tonight, according to the Ministry of Health.

There are also no new cases to report in the community. 

Two new cases arrived in the country as part of a family bubble - including two previously reported cases - from Kenya via the United Arab Emirates on April 10. The pair tested positive on day 5 testing. 

One case arrived in the country from Pakistan via the UAE on April 5, where they tested positive on day 12 testing. They were transferred from their initial managed isolation facility to the Auckland quarantine facility on April 13 after being part of a travel bubble with two previously reported cases. 

The fourth case arrived in the country from Lebanon via the UAE on April 15, where they tested positive on routine day 0 testing. 

All four cases have since been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility. 

In addition, one historical case arrived in the country from Papua New Guinea via Singapore on April 14, where they were tested upon arrival. They are not infectious, the ministry said. 

One previously reported case has now been deemed historical and is now recovered.

Our total number of confirmed cases is 2,239 after three previously reported cases recovered.

It brings the total number of active cases in New Zealand to 102. 

The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,972,640.

Approximately 4,688 tests were processed on Friday, while 3,965 tests were processed on Saturday, bringing the seven-day rolling average up to yesterday at 4,356 tests processed.

The NZ COVID Tracer now has 2,785,282 registered users. Poster scans have reached 250,258,193 and users have created 9,355,767 manual diary entries. There have been 785,253 scans in the last 24 hours to midday yesterday.

"It’s incredibly important that people keep a record of where they’ve been. It can help support contact tracers in tracing potential close and casual contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid-19," the Ministry of Health said. 

"As quarantine free travel begins overnight tonight, it’s a timely reminder that people who visit New Zealand as part of quarantine free travel will be able to download the NZ COVID Tracer app - there are no restrictions." 

People have been advised to search for the app by typing in "NZ COVID" into their App Store or Google Play, or visit the ministry website for the relevant link. 

"We recommend people continue to scan NZ COVID Tracer app. The more we all scan, the safer we’ll all be. The data is stored on your phone until you choose to share it."

Today's update was provided by the Ministry of Health in a press release this afternoon.

The next update will be provided tomorrow. 

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