Covid 19 coronavirus: AUT student tests positive

Senior Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·

16 Aug, 2020 01:38 AM3 mins to read

AUT campuses have been closed since Auckland moved to alert level 3 on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied

An AUT student has tested positive for Covid-19.

The case is linked to the Auckland cluster and the student is being moved to quarantine.

Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack sent an email to all staff advising of the student's test result earlier today.

The university understood the student's movements and physical interactions were limited to the MBA programme and specific areas of the City Campus, he said.

The student was not unwell when they were on campus and only began experiencing symptoms yesterday.

Auckland Regional Public Health Services has determined the student's infectious period began on Thursday August 13, therefore it is unlikely the student was infectious while on campus.

All teaching will be delivered online from Monday 17 August. Student services will still be available by prior appointment only.

Staff and students who might have been in close contact were being notified, and forensic cleaning was being organised, McCormack said.

"Please be reassured that AUT is working closely with the Ministry of Health and appropriate authorities in response to this issue. Auckland Regional Public Health Services will undertake contact tracing."

There are 13 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand - 12 in the community and one in isolation.

New Zealand now has 1271 Covid-19 cases. Of the 49 cases in the community outbreak, all but three are linked.

There have been 1536 close contacts of the cluster identified by the contact tracing centre. All are self isolating.

McCormack said the student notified AUT directly and the university would stay in direct contact with the student and their whānau, to ensure they were supported.

"Our thoughts are with them and we will check on their progress."

AUT campuses have been closed since Auckland moved to alert level 3 on Wednesday and were thoroughly cleaned that day.

All teaching will be delivered online from tomorrow.

The university will continue to make bookable learning spaces available to those students who may find it difficult to study from home, given the student's infectious period was after the campus closed.