Three new community COVID-19 cases have been detected in south Auckland, officials have confirmed.
As a result, Auckland is going into alert level 3 and the rest of New Zealand into alert level 2 from 11:59pm tonight. This is currently set to last for three days.
What you need to know
- It was confirmed on Sunday afternoon there are three COVID-19 cases in the community - all in south Auckland from the same family
- The source of the cases remain under investigation
- Auckland is going into alert level 3 and the rest of New Zealand into alert level 2 as of 11:59pm on Sunday. This is currently set to last for three days
- Papatoetoe High School, where one of the cases attended, will be closed on Monday and Tuesday
- Two of the cases visited Pak'nSave Manukau on Friday and anyone who was in the store between 3:35pm and 5pm is advised to self-isolate, be alert for symptoms, get tested for COVID-19 and stay at home until a result has returned
- New Zealand remains at COVID-19 alert level 1
- A list of locations visited by the three cases can be viewed here
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are holding a press conference at 7pm.
7:34pm - Ardern says it's currently not clear that even if one of the cases had a test on February 1 that the virus would've been picked up.
7:31pm - The scenario they are planning for is one of low or no transmission in the community.
If the risk lasts longer than 72 hours, they'll make adjustments, and there will be 24-hour reviews of this.
Ardern says there will be an announcement at her weekly post-Cabinet press conference on Monday afternoon.
7:30pm - Ardern says as the Labour leader, she has advised her Auckland-based members to stay there in the city rather than travel to Wellington.
7:26pm - Dr Bloomfield says they are working under the assumption that this is one of the new variants and that it will be more transmissible.
7:24pm - Ardern says it is her expectation that frontline workers are tested routinely, regardless of whether they are on annual leave or away from work.
7:21pm - Dr Bloomfield says these cases emphasise the need to be very cautious.
"What we've seen in MIQ facilities is sometimes the infection can transmit, even if two people aren't in same place at the same time."
He adds he assumes the woman was wearing PPE, given the nature of her job.
7:18pm - Ardern says she describes the decision to change New Zealand's alert levels as "cautious".
"We haven't quite put a ring around cases," she says.
Dr Bloomfield adds it's still not entirely clear where and who the source is, saying while the woman's workplace is most likely, they want to rule out who in the family became infected first.
7:17pm - Dr Bloomfield says close contacts of the mother and daughter who travelled to Taranaki have returned negative test results, but they are still isolating.
7:16pm - Ardern says testing centre hours will be extended since there is a strong demand.
7:14pm - For parts of New Zealand that will be in level 2, there will be some restrictions.
Businesses will remain open, but with physical distancing, it will be compulsory to wear masks on public transport, and mass gatherings will be limited to 100 people.
Ardern says we have stamped out the virus before and "we will do it again".
"We have a plan that works for our team of 5 million," she says. "We are going to be okay."
7:12pm - Inter-regional travel will be "highly limited", Ardern says, but people can go home if they're in Auckland and that isn't their place of residence.
Aucklanders are asked to wear a face covering if they need to leave their home.
7:11pm - Ardern says there is "no need" to rush to the supermarket.
7:08pm - As of 11:59pm tonight, Auckland will move to alert level 3 for a period of three days until midnight on Wednesday. The rest of New Zealand will move to level 2 for the same period of time. This is subject to 24 hour reviews.
Ardern says the main thing they are asking of Aucklanders is to stay home. People should work from home, unless that isn't possible, and children should stay home from school.
Schools and early childhood centres will remain open for children of parents who need to work.
7:05pm - The locations of interest will continue to be updated on the Ministry of Health website.
Outdoor places, like Egmont National Park, are considered casual contacts. In indoor places, people are told to self-isolate and seek a test, Dr Bloomfield says.
7:04pm - The woman is an employee of LGS Sky Chefs, an airline catering company. She isn't involved in the handling of food, Dr Bloomfield says, but they will take a close interest in this workplace due to its links to the border.
7:02pm - The daughter is a year nine student at Papatoetoe High School. There are 1400 students at this school and it will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
There will be a pop-up testing centre at the school from tomorrow which will be specifically for teachers, caregivers, and staff.
7pm - Ardern says with COVID raging around the world, and new more transmissible strains, they've had to make improvements to New Zealand's border and plans if it reemerges in the country.
6:55pm - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are due to hold a press conference at 7pm.
You can watch that here or tune in on Three.
6:30pm - Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson says she and some family members had "just parked up" at Auckland's Big Gay Out when they found out about the new community cases.
"As an over-precaution, and due to me being at big Sth Akl sports gatherings all morning, we turned around and came home," she says.
"But look. We Proud in our backyard instead."
Davidson is based in Manurewa.
6:10pm - Cabinet is currently holding an emergency meeting ahead of the 7pm press conference.
6:05pm - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are due to hold a press conference at 7pm in relation to these cases.
You'll be able to watch that on Newshub's website or by tuning in on Three.
6pm - It's time for Newshub Live at 6. You can watch online here or tune in on Three.
5:45pm - The Ministry of Health has released a full list of the locations visited by the new cases.
4:45pm - Air New Zealand is suspending in-flight food services after a woman who works for an airline catering company tested positive.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to suspend our food and beverage offering on all domestic services for the next 24 hours while we await more information from the Ministry of Health," Leanne Geraghty, Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer, says.
"For international flights we will be providing alternative catering options until more information is known."
4:30pm - According to the World Health Organization, the number of reported COVID-19 cases globally has declined for the fourth week in a row, and the number of deaths has fallen for the second consecutive week.
4pm - Foodstuffs, which is the parent organisation of Pak'nSave, says it considers the risk to team members and other shoppers "reasonably low" after two of the positive cases visited the supermarket in Manukau.
"However, while this is investigated further, we are taking the heightened precaution of requiring team members who were working in the store at the time to: isolate at home, take a test at the right time and return to work only when they have returned a negative result," a spokesperson says.
Staff will be paid for the time they can't come to work.
Pak'nSave Manukau will remain open and team members from surrounding stores will provide cover so the store can continue to operate.
"In addition to the heightened cleaning protocols the store undertakes every day and has cycled through multiple times since 12 February, the store will also undertake a deep clean as an extra precaution which is in line with Ministry of Health guidelines," the spokesperson says.
"The health and safety of our team and customers is our top priority and all best practice protocols continue to be followed in all our stores."
They encourage customers to continue thoroughly washing their hands, stay home if sick, call Healthline if they have symptoms, and keep scanning with the COVID Tracer app and turn Bluetooth on.
3:45pm - The news of south Auckland's latest community cases sent a shockwave through New Zealand on an otherwise sleepy Sunday afternoon, and many expressed their surprise on social media.
A number of people conveyed concern that the woman had not been tested since January 18, despite health officials reiterating that frontline workers are required to undertake frequent testing to ensure there has been no transmission at the border.
"While it's not too surprising that the more virulent strain is escaping into the community, what I did find surprising and alarming was that the front line worker had her last test result on January 18," one tweeted. "How often are we getting our people checked?"
"Uh-oh. This doesn't bode well," said another.
3:30pm - In a written update from the Ministry of Health earlier on Sunday, they gave more details on a new case that was recorded in managed isolation.
This person arrived from the United States on February 11 and tested positive on day one/routine testing.
This brings New Zealand's number of active cases to 47, and the total number of confirmed cases is 1974.
3:15pm - David Seymour says the new south Auckland community cases show the Government has left New Zealand a "sitting duck hoping for luck".
The ACT leader says it proves the Government should have been hardening the country's defences with better contact tracing, testing, and vaccination over the past year.
"It hasn't and we are now reduced to hoping this outbreak will somehow be contained like the January case," Seymour says in a statement.
"The Government has left New Zealand as a sitting duck, hoping for more luck that our isolation has already afforded us. We can only hope for all those who depend on doing business without further lockdowns that our luck hasn't run out yet."
3pm - The Ministry of Health has released new information on testing centres in Auckland.
The hours for the regional community testing centres in Northcote, Balmoral, Henderson, and Otara are being extended for Sunday. The community testing centre in Wiri is also open on Sunday.
Additional testing will be set up for Papatoetoe High School community from Monday, and the ministry says more information on this will be shared with the school later on Sunday.
"It's important the right people can get access to testing - so please don't rush to a centre if you are well, or if you weren't at one of the locations of interest," they say.
"We are anticipating high demand at our COVID-19 testing sites and delays are possible, so our request is to please be patient.
"A reminder that if you were not at a location of interest at the stated times and you have no symptoms you do not need to be tested."
It is advised that if you were at the locations of interest at the times stated, you need to get a test and remain isolated until you receive a result. If you have symptoms but haven't been to a location of interest, call Healthline for advice.
2:45pm - Auckland's Big Gay Out event is still taking place today despite the new community cases.
Organisers say Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and Director-General of Health Dr Ashely Bloomfield have advised them that it is still safe to continue this and other Auckland Pride events.
"We are relieved that health officials don't currently believe the risk is significant enough to move Auckland's alert level, however we will continue to closely monitor any updates and be ready to change our plans accordingly," they say.
"At this stage we are not implementing any changes to our events and will continue to follow the advice of health officials. We will continue to work with our community and event organisers as we maintain safety as our number one priority, and provide updates as necessary."
Organisers encourage everyone attending to use the QR codes to scan in, register through the event's ticketing platform, and use hand sanitiser.
2:27pm - Further updates on these infections are expected later in the day, with the Ministry of Health to provide more details on where two of the cases visited in New Plymouth last week.
2:23pm - The infected family will be housed at the Jet Park Hotel quarantine facility until they have recovered, officials confirmed earlier.
2:21pm - During the earlier news briefing, Chris Hipkins confirmed New Zealand remained at COVID-19 alert level 1.
2:10pm - To recap what we know so far:
There are three new community cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand on Sunday.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told a news briefing the cases are all within one family and the test results came through late on Saturday.
"The three cases detected in the community are a mother, father, and daughter from the same south Auckland household in Papatoetoe."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is returning to Wellington to be briefed on the cases and to make decisions relating to the infections.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says the mother in the family who tested positive undergoes regular testing as part of her job.
The family had taken the right action which was why health officials were able to detect the cases, he told reporters.
"These people did exactly the right thing."
2:09pm - Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is urging the city to remain calm and to follow all health precautions.
"The detection of these cases demonstrates that the system is working and is picking up potential transmission quickly," he said on Twitter.
"It's now up to everyone to keep scanning in with the NZ COVID Tracer app, stay home and get tested if you feel sick, and follow good hygiene practices.
"Please don't get a test unless you were at a location of interest as announced by the Ministry of Health or you're showing symptoms."
2:05pm - Vaughan Couillault, the principal of Papatoetoe High School, told the NZ Herald the student with COVID-19, in year nine, was only at school on Wednesday last week.
"Staff and students and their families are being asked to self-isolate for two days if they are casual contacts."
2:02pm - An additional COVID-19 testing centre will be set up at Papatoetoe High School on Monday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says.
Other testing centres in the Auckland region can be found here.
"Please don't rush to a testing centre if you are well or weren't at the locations of interest," Dr Bloomfield said.
1:57pm - Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says locations visited by the cases in New Plymouth will be posted online as soon as possible.
"Thank you for your patience as we confirm detailed times, dates, and location."
1:50pm - Papatoetoe High School, where one of the cases attended, will be closed on Monday, officials have confirmed.
1:45pm - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, currently in Auckland, will return to Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
She won't be attending the Big Gay Out event as originally planned.
"We will provide an additional update once further information comes to hand," her office said in a statement.
1:40pm - Known locations the trio have visited include:
- Papatoetoe High School - the school will be closed on Monday as a result
- PaknSave Manukau, which is a potential exposure event. Two of the positive cases had short visits there for 10 minutes on Friday. Anyone who visited the store between 3:35pm and 5pm on that day should stay home and isolate, be alert for symptoms, get tested, and isolate until a result has returned
- Last weekend (between February 6 and 8), potentially around the time of becoming symptomatic, two of the cases travelled to New Plymouth and visited tourist attractions - times, dates, and locations are to be confirmed.
1:38pm - The mother who was infected was last at her workplace at LSG Skychefs on February 5 and was not considered infectious when there, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.
Her daughter, who's also tested positive for COVID-19, attends Papatoetoe High School.
1:31pm - There are three community COVID-19 cases in south Auckland, all the same family, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed.
All their positive tests came through on Saturday night and genome sequencing is underway.
The mother of the family works at LSG Skychefs and is regularly tested for COVID-19, due to being a border worker. She was initially tested when her and her daughter felt symptomatic.
It's understood a fourth household contact of the three cases has tested negative, Hipkins said.
Hipkins said he was informed of the cases early on Sunday morning.
1:27pm - COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General Health Ashley Bloomfield are due to speak to media. You can watch live in the video above.
1:14pm - The announcement of more community COVID-19 cases comes as New Zealand prepares for the biggest vaccination programme in the country's history.
Next week, border workers will receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the arrival of the Pfizer jab.
1:08pm - There were two new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Saturday and none in the community, bringing New Zealand's total active infections to 45.
A patient with COVID-19 had also died at North Shore Hospital, the Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday.
The ministry said the person who died had been transferred from managed isolation to hospital for treatment of a serious non-COVID related illness on February 5.
However, the patient subsequently tested positive for coronavirus.
The death has not yet been included in New Zealand's official COVID-19 death toll and more information was expected on Monday.
1:05pm - Sunday's community cases come just a week after a returnee at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland tested positive for COVID-19 after leaving the managed isolation facility.
1pm - Chris Hipkins, in charge of the Government's COVID-19 response, did not indicate there were community infections when appearing on TVNZ's Q&A programme on Sunday morning.
12:50pm - COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins' office confirmed to Newshub there are two community coronavirus cases, both in south Auckland.
The confirmation came after Hipkins and Director-General of Health called a COVID-19 press conference, which was not initially planned for Sunday.
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