Covid 19 coronavirus: New confirmed cases in Ruapehu, Whanganui districts

A couple in the Ruapehu District and a previously probable case in the Whanganui District are the three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the region. Photo / Bevan Conley

There are three more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Whanganui region with two new cases announced in the Ruapehu district and a previously probable one in the Whanganui district now being confirmed.

It brings the total number of cases to seven confirmed cases in the region, the Ministry of Health says.

The two new cases confirmed in the Ruapehu District are a couple that arrived in Auckland from the UK on March 24 and drove to the Ruapehu district the following day.

They are being fully compliant with self-isolation and are receiving daily welfare checks from the public health team.

Contact tracing is also being carried out by the public health team to those who were on the international flight.

On Thursday the Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in the Whanganui district with one more probable case.

Since then the Ministry has confirmed the person with the probable case has Covid-19.

NeedToKnow3

The person and their partner are following self-isolation restrictions in the Whanganui District.

None of the seven people with confirmed cases has required hospitalisation.

Whanganui District Health Board chief executive, Russell Simpson, urges people in the Whanganui Region to stay at home and follow the Level 4 Alert restrictions.

"While the vast majority of the Whanganui Region's 69,000 residents are following the Alert Level 4 guidelines by staying at home, it is disappointing that there are a small minority who are not," he said.

Simpson said everyone must stay at home and only venture out for essential services.

Simpson said the emergency response is well prepared, with trained people managing cases to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health of people in our region.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website