There are two new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand today, both detected in recent returnees in managed isolation. There are no new community cases.
Both cases arrived on 19 November and tested positive around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation. The first person arrived from the United Kingdom via the United Arab Emirates and the country of origin of the second case is currently being determined. Both people have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.
There are 52 active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand.
Our total number of confirmed cases is 1,674.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 3,274 tests for COVID-19, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 1,234,175.
November quarantine cluster
The Ministry of Health initially reported Case F was a border worker. This is incorrect – Case F is a close contact of Case B.
As we reported on Saturday, Case F has been in isolation since 7 November, and their close contacts have all returned a negative result, so we believe the virus to be contained.
Whole genome sequencing for Case F shows a link to Case B.
Alert Level 1
Anyone who becomes unwell with cold or flu symptoms anywhere in the country should seek a COVID-19 test quickly, and stay at home.
This may not always be convenient, especially if you have made plans that you then have to cancel – but it is incredibly important.
If you are unwell, sacrifice your plans and protect your family, friends and colleagues by staying at home and getting a COVID-19 test.
It is the best way to ensure the freedoms we enjoy under Alert Level 1 can continue into the much-anticipated summer break.
We must all remain vigilant to the threat posed by the virus and remember how quickly it can spread.
Testing is free and locations to get a test can be found via the Ministry of Health website.
NZ COVID Tracer app
All New Zealanders keeping track of where they have been and who they have seen means we can get ahead of the virus and stop its transmission when it appears.
The Ministry of Health is releasing an update tonight to the NZ COVID Tracer app to make it easier to use.
Existing app users will no longer be prompted every now and then to log back into the app with their password, and new users will no longer need to provide their email address.
The Ministry has also made the app more stable and accessible and has fixed the issue that was affecting some people with Oppo, OnePlus, Xiami and Redmi devices.
The app will update automatically for most users over the next few days, or you can manually update the app through the App/Play store.
Information on how to manually update the app can also be found on the Ministry's website here: www.health.govt.nz/nz-covid-tracer-qaas
NZ COVID Tracer now has 2,378,700 registered users.
Poster scans have reached 123,706,942 and users have created 5,058,420 manual diary entries.
