Covid 19 coronavirus: Second NZ Post worker tests positive

Name: Focus Live: Six new cases; more army staff to guard isolation hotels
Uploaded: 2020-08-19T13:53:00+12:00
Duration: 724 s
Description: Five hundred more Defence Force staff are being deployed to managed isolation facilities and the Government is also directly hiring security guards to help control the centres. It comes as officials report six new cases of Covid-19 today, one of which is in managed isolation.

By Kim Moodie

Reporter, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·

18 Aug, 2020 06:29 PM2 mins to read

Five hundred more Defence Force staff are being deployed to managed isolation facilities and the Government is also directly hiring security guards to help control the centres. It comes as officials report six new cases of Covid-19 today, one of which is in managed isolation.

A second NZ Post worker has tested positive for Covid-19 in Auckland.

The person was last at work on Friday, but wasn't displaying any symptoms of the coronavirus at that time, NZ Post chief operating officer Mark Stewart said.

Close contacts who worked alongside the person at the Highbrook Operations Centre were being urgently contacted, he said.

It is the second case in as many days from the East Tāmaki workplace, with another staff member in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19.

Several close contacts of that staff member had all tested negative for the virus, Stewart said.

The operations centre underwent a deep clean on Sunday and on-site testing would be available for staff there today following advice from the Ministry of Health, Stewart said.

"The Ministry of Health has confirmed that it is appropriate to continue operations at this site."

Current medical advice indicated that the risk of transferring Covid-19 through mail and parcels was low, Stewart said.

"Covid-19 is largely transmitted by respiratory droplets, and there is not good evidence that surface transmission is occurring in operational environments such as ours where physical distancing, use of face masks, hygiene, safety procedures and environmental factors are in place.

"We have also re-implemented contactless delivery to avoid the need for physical contact between our couriers and customers to help further prevent any spread of Covid-19."

But some packages due to be delivered in Auckland will be delayed by a day as the company ramps up safety measures.

"A low proportion of items being sent from Auckland to addresses outside of Auckland may also be delayed by one day," Stewart said.

"Items that are not sent from or delivered to Auckland will not be impacted."

Stewart urged members of the public to treat NZ Post employees with kindness and respect and practise physical distancing as staff deliver mail.

"NZ Post is proud to be providing an essential service delivering items including food and medical supplies to New Zealanders during alert level 3 in Auckland, and alert level 2 nationwide," he said.