Covid 19 coronavirus: Cases climb to four in Northland

Whangārei police are concerned at large congregations of people seen walking the Hatea Loop during the lockdown. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Northland has climbed to four as police continue to deal with cases of people still congregating in public places and driving around with their families.

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed at noon yesterday 85 new cases, of which 76 were confirmed and nine probable, taking the number of both cases to 368 in the country.

The third person to test positive in Northland is in Whangārei Hospital and is among eight patients in hospitals in Wellington, Nelson, Waikato, and Auckland.

Details about Northland's fourth case were not available last night.The total of confirmed and probable cases is now 368 in this country.

This morning, the nation enters its third day of lockdown.

Thirty-seven people have now recovered from Covid-19, which Bloomfield said was defined as being symptom-free for 14 days.

The ministry expects the number of people with the disease to start to level off in roughly 10 days' time.

Anyone waiting to hear back about a test is being urged to stay in self-isolation.

Whangārei senior sergeant Brian Swann said officers were following breaches across Northland on case by case and said it was disappointing some people were not adhering to lockdown rules.

No one in Northland, he said, was facing charges as the police focus initially was on education rather than other punitive measures.

Senior Sergeant Brian Swann has urged people to respect the lockdown rules by not congregating in public places. Photo / Debbie Beadle

He said about 500 people were walking around the Hatea Loop in Whangārei on Thursday and people were seen driving around when they should have been at home.

"Generally compliance has been good. We've had cases of individuals visiting places or travelling when they should not have been but that should be ironed out over the next few days.

"Some people have gone to the supermarket with their families in tow and that's no excuse for a family outing, or gone for a drive-by. We've also spoken to some businesses about how they were operating."

Swann said there were some "concerning areas" such as the Hatea Loop where a large number of people congregating for a walk defeated the purpose of self-isolation and increased the risk of viruses to spread.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has urged people not to congregate in public places.

She said people should only use their car for supermarket shopping and to visit a doctor during the coronavirus lockdown, not to go fishing, hunting, or socialise with others outside their bubble.

Children using playgrounds is not allowed as any surface presented risk of Covid-19 spreading.

The director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, Sarah Stuart-Black, clarified that it was okay for people to go for a walk "locally" but people were going to places where they might need others to come and help them if they got into trouble. That was not allowed, she said.

People were asked to stay out of the water because if they got into trouble they would need others to come and help them.

She reiterated that people should stay in their bubbles.

People should "use their judgment" when selecting exercise options.

The Ministry of Health's capacity for testing is now 2000 per day which was on a par with Germany on a per capita basis.

A total of 2500 retired health professionals had returned to the workforce to help with the Covid-19 outbreak response.
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