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Update from the Ministry of Health on new Community Cases

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On 12th November, 2020 we received an update from the Ministry of Health on new Community Cases, a press release is below.

The latest community cases demonstrate just how important it is that we continue to follow the guidelines for contact tracing and hygiene standards.

Our industry is just about to move into its busiest period so a change of alert levels would be a bitter pill to swallow just as we are getting back on our feet again. But we are now very well prepared and our businesses know what they need to do to continue to operate safely and sustainably.

COVID-19 Related Resources:

Hospitality Hub

COVID – 19 Media Survival Kit

Guidance for dealing with a probable or confirmed Covid-19 case in the workplace

Cleaning your premises following a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19

COVID-19 Resources

Ministry of Health update at 6:00pm 12 November

Auckland Case Updates

Auckland Regional Public Health Service has this afternoon conducted a detailed interview with the case announced today at 1pm in the community in Auckland.

We now know that this person’s role at A-Z Collection is in a customer facing role, as a shop assistant.

This person became symptomatic on 9 November, was tested on 10 November, was asked to isolate, then went to work on 11 November.

We now know that this case called in sick to work after receiving the advice to isolate, but after a conversation with their manager went to work and wore a mask.

A-Z Collection is closed today and is undergoing a deep clean.

Whole genome sequencing will also allow us to compare the genome of this case to that of other recent cases we have sequenced to help us determine the source of this latest infection.

The swab from this case has been received by ESR and will be processed overnight for whole genome sequencing. We have successfully sequenced 1,084 genomes to date, which includes 169 from MIQ facilities.

Close contacts include a colleague of the case, and two friends. They all report being well. The two friends are being transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility as a precaution. One of the friends lives alone in the Vincent Residences, the same as the case.

All residents of the Vincent Residences have been asked to go home and stay home while testing takes place. Health authorities are working closely with the body corporate, and a cleaning company is going in today to do a deep clean of the common areas of the apartment building – including stairwells, lifts, and the lobby.

All common areas in the apartment building will be closed. A mobile testing station will be on site tonight for residents of Vincent Residences.

Today’s case also took a number of Ubers to work. The drivers are being contacted by ARPHS. The Uber trips were very short but because they were are in close confinement, we are asking them to get a test and isolate.

Following interviews with today’s case, we are in the process of confirming a number of locations of interest that the person visited while possibly infectious.

These include:

Sat 7 November3.50 pm – 6 pm


6 pm – 8.30 pm
Smith and Caughey’s
Department Store, Queen St

Red Pig Restaurant, Kitchener St
Sun 8 November11.30 am to 11.45 amTakeaways from Starbucks Queen St and from Sunnytown Restaurant, Lorne St
6.40 pm – 6.50 pmTakeaways from The Gateau House, 332 Queen St
Monday 9 November11.31am – 11.40 amTakeaways from Starbucks Queen St and from Sunnytown Restaurant, Lorne St

Anyone who was dining at the Red Pig Restaurant on Saturday night will need to be tested and to go into self-isolation until they receive a negative test result.

Anyone at Smith and Caughey’s, Starbucks, Sunnytown and The Gateau House at these times should watch for symptoms and get tested if they feel unwell, staying in self-isolation until they receive a negative test.

This afternoon around 2pm we have issued push notifications through NZ COVID Tracer for A-Z Collection and the Vincent Residences. NZ COVID Tracer app users who scanned into either location during the relevant timeframes will receive a contact alert advising them to isolate and call Healthline to arrange a test. It is too early to report the number of app users who will have received contact alerts, as the console we use for app analytics is not configured for real-time reporting. Anyone who was at these places around these times should isolate, get tested, and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.

Pop-up testing is available today in Auckland, including at the Ellen Melville Centre on Freyberg Place, and a testing site at Victoria Park Community Testing Centre. There is also pop-up testing available tomorrow at Quay Park Health Centre at 68 Beach Road, and at the Wynyard Quarter Carpark Community Testing Centre on Madden Street. A full list of testing sites in Auckland is available on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website.

Anyone in the Auckland area, indeed throughout New Zealand, who has cold or flu symptoms should get a test and stay at home until you have a negative test result.

Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking people who work in downtown Auckland to work from home tomorrow where possible. If you must go into this area, please use masks and social distancing while health authorities continue work to trace the source of this infection.


Ministry of Health update 2:00 pm November 12


There are three new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand today.
One case was detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility.
They arrived on 9 November from Los Angeles. They returned a positive test around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation and have been moved to the Auckland quarantine facility.

There are two new cases in the community.

One of these is connected to the November quarantine cluster. Case C is a close contact of Case B and tested positive on 11 November.

Case C met Case B for lunch in Wellington on The Terrace on Friday afternoon. On developing symptoms on Saturday they self-isolated at home and had a COVID-19 test.

Although initially returning a negative result on day 3, they were moved to quarantine at the Grand Mercure in Wellington as a precaution on Tuesday. A second test yesterday resulted in a positive result.

Push notifications were sent out on Sunday for the restaurant on The Terrace, visited by Case B and Case C.  Anyone who visited the restaurant between 1pm and 4pm on Friday should have a test if they feel symptomatic.

Household contacts for Case C are in isolation and have returned negative results.

All identified close contacts of the new case are isolating.

All close contacts of Case B, other than Case C, have returned a negative test result.

Auckland community case

Today we are also reporting a community case in Auckland for which we continue to investigate the source of transmission.

The person became symptomatic on Monday 9 November. They were tested late on 10 November. They went to work at A – Z Collection on High Street from Sunday 8 November to Wednesday 11 November.

Their positive test was confirmed this morning, 12 November. They are being moved to the Auckland quarantine facility today.

This is another very important reminder that if you are unwell with cold symptoms, you should get a test and stay at home until you have a negative test result.

Auckland Regional Public Health is interviewing the case today to identify close and casual contacts, and to further understand their movements during the period they may have been infectious, which we currently believe to have been around Saturday 7 November.

The person lives alone and appears to have had limited community outings recently. For instance, they have not visited a supermarket during the period they might have been infectious. The person is a student at AUT, however they have not been to any lectures or classes on campus since mid-October. There is no concern with any potential exposures on campus.

At this time, as highly precautionary step we are asking people who may have visited A-Z Collections store on High St and the Vincent Residences at 106 Vincent Street between Saturday 7 November and today 12 November to isolate and get advice on being tested promptly even if asymptomatic, and stay isolated until you receive the results.

As always anyone in the Auckland area who has cold or flu symptoms should get a test and stay at home until you have a negative test result.

There are details on the Auckland Regional Public Health website around current testing sites, and these will be further updated this afternoon.

Additional locations of interest will be identified and notified to the public as soon as possible, including any locations in the central city area where the case lives and works.

Auckland health officials are also working to provide additional testing in this central city area.  The location of that additional testing will be available later today.

We are urgently working to trace this person’s movements over the past week to determine how they became infected.  Genome testing of this case is also underway to help us understand any potential links to previous cases.  

At this stage the Ministry is not advising of any need to change the current approach.  

We will also be providing a further update on this case later this afternoon, likely at approximately 5pm.

Anyone concerned about today’s news can ring Healthline’s dedicated number 0800 358 5453 for advice.

NZ COVID Tracer

There are now 2,349,900 registered users of the NZ COVID Tracer app.

Poster scans have reached 112,469,275 and there have been 4,667, 638 manual diary entries.

These recent cases have once again re-emphasised the importance of keeping track of your movements.

It’s important we all scan the QR codes wherever we see them, so we can be notified when we may have been exposed to COVID-19 and to help contact tracers stay one step ahead of the virus.


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