Mike Hosking talks to Finance Minister Grant Robertson about 'shovel-ready' projects and economic recovery after COVID-19 - 31st March.
Northland's first confirmed Covid-19 case has fully recovered as another was discharged from Whangārei hospital yesterday.
Case number one, a man in his 20s who travelled from Paris to Auckland almost two weeks ago, is Northland's first to recover, confirmed by the Northland District Health Board (NDHB) late yesterday.
One confirmed case had also been released from hospital yesterday. Eight cases were at home in isolation as at 3pm yesterday.
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As at 5pm on Monday, 364 swabs had been taken from people at Northland's seven community-based assessment centres. Four of Northland's eight positive confirmed cases had been tested at these centres.
Head to the bottom of the article for details on Northland's seven centres.
The NDHB will not be releasing any further information regarding cases and/or patients.
Northland's case tally is still nine, eight confirmed and one probable.
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 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 and arrived in New Zealand on March 20. 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.
The news came as Northland registered no more Covid-19 cases in the new 58 confirmed and probable national cases announced at Parliament yesterday.
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, standing alongside Civil Defence Director Sarah Stuart-Black, said there were 48 new confirmed cases and 10 probable cases as at 9am yesterday, taking New Zealand's total to 647 - including 74 recovered cases.
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / File
Bloomfield confirmed there had been no additional deaths after New Zealand's first was registered on Sunday.
While yesterday's total of new cases had been significantly lower than in previous days, Bloomfield noted this could be a reflection of fewer tests being done over the weekend.
Bloomfield said he expected the number of new cases to increase further over the next 7-10 days. Fourteen people were in hospital - two people were in a stable condition in intensive-care units.
Stuart-Black announced local government entities had teamed up with central Government to create a local government response unit to help people gain access to essential services, especially for those who are vulnerable.
The regional civil defence management groups would be operating local helplines, she said.
Civil Defence Director Sarah Stuart-Black. Photo / File
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also addressed media late yesterday. She outlined supermarkets would be closed as usual on Good Friday but would be open on Easter Sunday, based on the need for staff to rest and supermarkets to restock, while acknowledging that people needed access to essential food.
Ardern also spoke about Covid-19 testing and stated current testing criteria was not wide enough to tell where the community outbreaks were and would be expanded.
"I want more tests. We've built the capacity for more tests," she said.
As had not been the case in past days, Ardern explained people with symptoms could be tested without having a definite link to travel or an already confirmed case.
With reference to the media, Ardern said the decision to deem community and non-daily newspapers - including the Northland Age - as non-essential would be reversed in some cases.
Ardern acknowledged the important role different media voices played in New Zealand currently. In a statement released by the Government after Ardern's press conference, it outlined what guidelines a community news publication must satisfy to be deemed essential:
• serve a need for hard-to-reach rural communities, with reduced connectivity, • and/or serve non-English speaking communities, • and have appropriate health and safety measures to minimise the spread of Covid-19 during production and delivery.
