There are five new cases of Covid-19, all in managed isolation. Photo / Supplied
There are five new cases of Covid-19, all in managed isolation. Photo / Supplied
On the eve of the Government's decision about whether Auckland moves to level 1, there is some seemingly good news - there are five new cases of Covid-19, but they are all in managed isolation.
There are no new community cases today.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce tomorrow whether Auckland is ready to return to alert level 1. Any decision would not come into force until Wednesday, she said.
This morning, Ardern said the country had been tracking as expected but she would not speculate about tomorrow's decision.
"Any decision that is made won't come into force until Wednesday; that's because we need to give notice about the rule changes."
Of the five people in managed isolation who tested positive, two arrived from Switzerland via the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia on September 29. One was from Russia via the United Arab Emirates on September 21; another was from Ukraine on September 29; and another was from Australia on September 30.
Two of the returnees are in managed isolation in Auckland. The ministry says one has already been transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility, and arrangements are in place for the second person to be transferred.
The three other returnees are in managed isolation in Rotorua and will also be transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility.
Today's results were from routine testing around day three for four people and testing around day 12 for the fifth person, the ministry says.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce Cabinet's alert level decision tomorrow, but legal protocols mean Auckland can't move to level 1 before Wednesday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is 1498. Five previously reported cases are now considered to have recovered, leaving our total number of active cases effectively unchanged from yesterday at 41.
Of these active cases, 34 are imported cases in MIQ facilities, and seven are community cases.
There is no one in hospital with Covid-19 in New Zealand today.
Laboratories processed 3616 tests yesterday, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 979,985.
Meanwhile, new requirements for air crew take effect from 11.59pm tonight.
Changes to Orders made under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 are being made to require:
• All New Zealand-based air crew to use PPE on all flights and to isolate with other crew members while on overseas layovers;
• All overseas-based air crew to wear appropriate PPE while in New Zealand airports and whenever travelling between the airport and their hotel;
• Overseas-based air crew who are laying over in New Zealand to do so in a Government managed isolation facility for as long as they are in the country, to ensure they avoid contact with New Zealanders;
• New Zealand-based crew returning to New Zealand from high-risk locations overseas to self-isolate for at least 48 hours after they return, and until they are assessed as being low risk of having Covid-19 (including receiving a negative test).
The ministry said it was aware these measures were already widely used, and this change would make sure they were applied consistently.
There are now 2,293,500 users registered on NZ Covid Tracer.
The app has recorded a total of 83,309,534 poster scans, and users have created 3,566,065 manual diary entries.
Yesterday, one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation was reported.
That person arrived in New Zealand on October 1 from England via Hong Kong. They have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.
People should scan into their voting places with the NZ Covid Tracer app, use the provided hand sanitiser before going in and out of the voting place, bring their own pen to mark the voting paper, and keep social distance from strangers in the voting place, "even at alert level 1".
