There is one new case of Covid-19 today in managed isolation.
There are no new community cases.
And all test results of close contacts of the three cases in the community have come back negative.
The new case in managed isolation arrived from the United Kingdom via Qatar and tested positive on day 3 of their stay.
The total number of active cases in New Zealand remains at 71. Our total number of confirmed cases is 1,948.
The total number of tests processed by New Zealand laboratories to date is 1,532,275.
The seven-day rolling average of test up to Saturday is 6,434.
On Saturday, the country's laboratories processed 5,666 tests.
Our laboratories have processed more than 45,000 (45,040) tests this week, in the seven days up to and including yesterday.
And the protocol changes at the Pullman Hotel yesterday took effect, including:
• After having have had their day 11/12 test, they will be required to stay in their rooms until they get a negative test result and are advised they can depart from the facility.
• Returnees departing from the Pullman will also be required to have a day 5 post-departure test and stay at home until a negative test result is returned.
• If they become symptomatic following their departure from the Pullman they need to self-isolate and get a test.
• Returnees are required to wear a mask when departing from the facility or going for their day 5 test.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on Friday gave the green light to holidaymakers who were preparing to leave for anniversary weekend getaways.
"There is no reason why people's travel plans should change," he said.
So far all three positive cases in the community - a 56-year-old Northland woman and an Orewa man in his 40s and his preschooler daughter - have been scientifically linked with a fellow returnee staying in managed isolation at Auckland's Pullman hotel.
But no further positive cases have been found, as of yesterday, despite thousands of people lining up for tests. This has given officials hope that community transmission has been avoided.
Meanwhile, it was revealed on Friday that a managed isolation worker was caught in a guest's bedroom after he had slipped hand-written notes into the guest's groceries and written his number on a face-mask.
The worker at the Grand Millenium Hotel in Auckland then delivered a bottle of wine to her room.
After the staffer didn't promptly return from the delivery, the hotel's security manager went to the woman's room to follow up and interrupted the forbidden rendezvous.
The man was in the hotel room for about 20 minutes.
As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2024.