The Government will change a law to help companies facing insolvency due to Covid-19 to remain running and keep people in jobs.
A dozen Covid-19 cases are being investigated across three Northland Hospitals, with 12 positive cases already confirmed and one probable case.
Northland District Health Board (NDHB) said six cases are under investigation at Whangārei Hospital, four at Bay of Islands Hospital and two at Kaitaia Hospital.
As at 8am yesterday, Whangārei Hospital (seen here) had six cases of Covid-19 under investigation. Photo / File
According to the Ministry of Health, being under investigation is someone who is eligible for testing but has not yet been tested, or is someone who has been tested and do not yet have a result.
People who were being tested were quarantined (self-isolated) until their test results were available.
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A probable case is someone who has been in close contact with a confirmed case and has an illness that is consistent with Covid-19, while their testing for Covid-19 is inconclusive and other causes of their illness (for example flu) have been ruled out.
These people were isolated and contact traced as if they were a confirmed case.
It comes as Northland's positive case tally rose by two yesterday to 13, including 12 confirmed cases and one probable case. Northland's two new cases were a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s.
Further details on the new cases was unavailable as at edition time yesterday.
Case 1 (RECOVERED): Male, 20s. Departed Paris on flight EY38 to Abu Dhabi on March 14, then to Sydney on flight EY450 and then to Auckland on VA0141, arriving on March 16 Case 2: Female, 40s. Departed Melbourne on flight JQ217 to Auckland on March 15 Case 3: Female, 50s. Departed UK on flight EK38 to Dubai on March 19. Departed Dubai on flight EK448 for Auckland on March 21 (recovering in Whangarei hospital as of 26/3) Case 4: Male, 60s. Departed Los Angeles on flight NZ1 on March 23 and arrived in Auckland on March 24 Case 5: Female, 20s. Departed Dubai on flight EK448 on March 19 Case 6: Female, 20s. Departed Dubai on flight EK448 and arrived in New Zealand on March 24 Case 7: Female, 60s (probable). Travelled from the United States out of LAX on March 18 and arrived in New Zealand on March 19. Case 8: Female, 40s Case 9: Female, 20s. Departed Canada on flight GB615 on March 23 and arrived in New Zealand on the same date. Case 10: Male, 50s. Departed United States and arrived in New Zealand on March 22. Case 11: Female, 30s. No international travel. Case 12: Female, 40s. Case 13: Male, 50s.
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The NDHB also confirmed three of Northland's 12 cases had recovered with a further nine in self-isolation at home.
Since testing began across Northland's seven community-based assessment centres, 662 swabs had been taken as at 3pm on Thursday with 129 taken that day.
Of the 12 positive cases in Northland, eight had been tested at these centres.
Head to the bottom of the story for more details regarding the centres.
New Zealand's national total for Covid-19 cases rose to 868 yesterday, announced by Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield at Parliament.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / File
Bloomfield said 71 new cases had been found, which included 49 confirmed cases and 22 probable cases. He said 103 people had recovered from Covid-19 and 13 people were in hospitals across the country in stable conditions with one in intensive care.
Speaking alongside Bloomfield, Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black said half a million older New Zealanders had been in self-isolation since the lockdown began and measures had been taken to ensure their wellbeing.
Check-in calls from the Government started on March 30, which had been appreciated so far, Stuart-Black said.
Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black. Photo / File
She added an email has been sent to more than 300,000 seniors telling them their payments would continue. It also informed them that their winter energy payment had been doubled.
In his press conference to media yesterday, Minister of Finance Grant Robertson said the Government had so far announced close to $25 billion worth of support in the fight against Covid-19.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson. Photo / File
He praised the Government's response and as an example of the benefits being felt, Robertson said he had received a letter from an owner of two Whangārei shipyards who had received close to $300,000 from the wage subsidy.
Robertson quoted the owner as saying the wage subsidy allowed their full workforce to remain on 80 per cent of their salaries and planned to scale back up to normal income after about 4-6 weeks after the lockdown finished.
He also announced the Government would be introducing legislation to make changes to the Companies Act to help companies facing insolvency due to Covid-19 to remain viable and keep New Zealanders in jobs.
