Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / Mark Mitchell
There are no new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, for a second straight day.
There are no new recovered cases today, which means the total number of active cases in managed isolation and quarantine facilities remains at 21, the Ministry of Health said today.
The country has now gone 86 days since a case of community transmission.
Laboratories completed 1754 tests yesterday.
The total number of tests completed to date is now 455,677
"Testing remains an important part of our overall strategy to detect any community cases of Covid-19 as quickly as possible," the ministry said.
"We all have a part to play and we're encouraging anyone who is offered a swab, to take up that offer."
Yesterday there were no new cases.
New Zealand's current total number of all cases was 1206 yesterday.
Meanwhile, the mother of a family that escaped from managed isolation in Hamilton on Friday night has attempted to defend her actions.
Police said the woman and four of her children jumped a fence on Friday night to escape the facility because they wanted to see the children's father's body before his funeral.
The family is accused of forcing their way through a window before scaling a fence.
Most were quickly apprehended near Hamilton's Distinction Hotel but a teenager among the group made it all the way to Auckland.
The 37-year-old woman, together with three youths aged 18, 17 and 16, were jointly charged with failing to comply with an order under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020.
A 12-year-old who also left the facility has not been charged by police.
The mother took to social media overnight to criticise the process that refused her family to right to say goodbye to the children's father after they travelled from Brisbane.
She said she had undergone another Covid test since being recaptured and it was negative.
The mother denied the move was "premeditated" in any way - and insists she understood the health risk to the public and had worn a mask while on the loose.
The woman added they only wanted one hour to view the man's body.
"That ain't to [sic] much to ask for ... we tested negative," her post said.
"What more do u want.
"You say the circumstance wasnt exceptional well put your self in my shoes bet it be exceptional then."
She said she had complied with the request for a compassionate exemption to isolation but had got nowhere.
"I didnt premeditate nothing after all the efforts made applications, phone calls to health and government officials, mps, requests with in reason, plans implemented and put forward and structured to uphold the covid safety health precautions and have the defense force and police back my applications you still said no.
"5 long days and night I did my best to follow the law and its procedures went about things the right way this time round, sleepless night preparing applications how the hell u say it was premeditated to come from Brisbane to escape.
"Yeah I really planned to go to jail and ruin my life after I've spent so long rebuilding it. If that was the case I would have gone day 1."
All the family had wanted was to spend an hour with the children's father's body, she said.
"1 hour viewing with no one in the room . That ain't to much to ask for.. we tested negativ.
"Shit needs to change no family should go through this."
Each day on The Great New Zealand Road Trip, we catch up with a noteworthy Kiwi.