The rock band Tool played in Auckland at Spark Arena last Friday and Saturday night. Photo / Michelle Bakker
The rock band Tool played in Auckland at Spark Arena last Friday and Saturday night. Photo / Michelle Bakker
People who attended the Tool concert in Auckland last Friday are at low risk of being infected with coronavirus despite confirmation that a person with the disease was also at the show.
That's the message from the Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, who this afternoon confirmed the fourth case of COVID-19 was a man, in his 30s, who attended the event on February 28.
Bloomfield also confirmed the man is the partner of the second coronavirus case-patient, announced earlier this week.
Asked by media this afternoon if the travel restrictions, currently only in place for China and Iran, should include norther Italy, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: "I won't rule that out".
"We're keeping a very close eye on numbers coming through.
"I think it's fair to say from what I have seen that the fact we are requiring people to self-isolate from South Korea and Italy is having an impact on those coming into New Zealand."
She said the Government was assessing the border restrictions on a daily basis, based on scientific and health evidence.
Meanwhile, contact tracing is underway for the fourth case and close contacts have already been put in self-isolation.
Speaking to media this afternoon, Bloomfield confirmed the man had been at the concert at Spark Arena "when he may have been infectious".
The man was in the general admission standing area in the front-left hand quadrant.
"We encourage people who were in the general admission standing area to be aware of symptoms of COVID-19."
But anyone at the event was a "casual contact" – meaning they are at low risk.
Bloomfield said if anyone who was at the event was feeling symptomatic to call Healthline's dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453.
"Our advice is the risk is low [of contracting coronavirus] for all others who attended this concert."
Bloomfield was unable to say how many of the people at the concert would have come into casual contact with the man and there was no way of contact tracing the people near the man.
"There is no way we could know which people were in that area."
He said the people officials that were considered to be casual contacts were only those in the standing area – particularly in the front, left-hand-side where the man was.
"People there might be at slightly higher risks, but again – the risk is low and the key action is just to keep an eye out for any symptoms."
There are a number of significant events coming up where attendance is expected to be high, including commemoration of the March 15 terror attacks.
Asked for his advice to people going to such events, Bloomfield said: "If anyone is symptomatic… they should not attend".
He also urged people attending the events to look at the Ministry's website and its guidelines around attending mass gatherings.
Meanwhile, he said GPs across the country have been offered protective gear.
He said the Ministry had gone to great pains to ensure every practice had Personal protective equipment (PPE).
"They all now have it, I'm very, very confident in that – and we have been very active in ensuring that is the case."
Ardern told media that part of the Government's pandemic plan is the availability of appropriate face masks for health professionals.
"We have nine million of those mask in stock here in New Zealand – so if there are any concerns there I would urge those GPS to get in direct contact with the Ministry of Health."
Bloomfield also reinforced that there was no need to name the medical centres involved in positive testing.
"We do not want the public to be concerned about visiting their general practices for routine visits," he said.
