Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi has confirmed a staff member at its Whakatāne campus is a casual contact of the latest COVID-19 cases in Auckland. Photo / Google
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi chief executive officer Wiremu Doherty has praised a staff member for his actions after he was identified as a casual contact in the latest COVID-19 cases in Auckland.
As soon as the staff member was notified, they let the wananga know and went home to isolate until they received their test results.
Doherty told the Rotorua Daily Post no matter how likely the person was to test positive for Covid-19, the cautious approach was the correct one.
"We're just being cautious, it's not a direct contact but given where we are and given the kind of virus this is, we're following the government guidelines and the abundance of caution approach," he said.
The wananga got on the front foot early with a detailed post about the situation on its Facebook page. Doherty said the reaction from the Whakatāne community had been positive, with many showing "support and aroha".
"That's really pleasing to see. What we didn't want to occur was for any misinformation to get out there. We pointed people to our communications, Facebook and our website, and reassured them that it was just a precaution."
Doherty said the staff member in question had set a good example by notifying the campus early and self-isolating straight away while they awaited their test result.
"They're doing fine. Within half an hour they were travelling home and following the health guidelines.
"Talking to them this morning, they are in direct contact with health officials. They're following all the precautionary steps but they don't expect a positive result."
The post on Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi Facebook page last night said: "We have been informed of all the contacts the staff member has had to date on campus over the relevant time period, and those kaimahi are now working from home until the staff member gets clearance from the Ministry of Health.
"Note, there have been no tauira (students) on campus during the time period the staff member was on campus.
"Our investigations to date indicate that contact with the staff member is isolated to one area of the Whakatāne campus which has now been sectioned off and will undergo a deep clean, out of an abundance of caution. There is no need to panic, but we must continue to take all necessary precautions."
The Government has no concerns about the development on state land in Ngongotahā.