Covid 19 coronavirus: Staffer at MBIE tests positive

A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employee has tested positive for Covid-19, sparking a "thorough clean" of their Auckland office before staff return on Monday.

A spokesperson for MBIE, one of the Government agencies leading the fight against Covid-19, told the Herald the affected person had not been in the office since alert level 3 restrictions came into place.

Director of public health Caroline McElnay said today there were five new community cases and seven imported cases.

The MBIE spokesperson wouldn't comment as to whether the staff member was linked to the new "mini cluster" connected to the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship where eight people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past three or four days.

"We will not be providing comment on the personal circumstances of our staff members where it does not concern members of the public."

The spokesperson said MBIE follows strict protocols developed from MoH guidelines and although the office floor has been empty throughout alert level 3, it will be thoroughly cleaned before staff return under alert level 2.

MBIE was now supporting and providing assistance to the affected employee.

Yesterday, Bloomfield urged anyone who was at services held at the Mt Roskill church on Stoddard Rd on August 8, 9 and 11 and a wedding on August 7 to isolate and seek a test.

The cases are yet to be epidemiologically linked to the existing South Auckland cluster, but health officials were confident they would be connected.