Covid 19 coronavirus: No active cases in community; 3 new cases at the border

Authored by nzherald.co.nz and submitted by kezzaNZ

All Covid-19 patients in the community have now recovered, the Ministry of Health says.

There are no active community cases - welcome news as Auckland prepares to move to alert level 1 tonight.

There are three new cases of Covid-19 today in managed isolation today.

The first two cases reported today arrived from Ethiopia via Dubai on September 23. They have been in managed isolation at the Ibis in Hamilton and tested positive at routine testing around day 12 of their stay.

The third case reported today arrived from Dubai on September 29. They have been staying in managed isolation at the Four Points Hotel and have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility upon returning a positive test result.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that zero active cases in the community was "another milestone" for New Zealand.

"I think we have been through enough to acknowledge we will go through different periods during this pandemic. This is a positive one to acknowledge."

Health Minister Chris Hipkins said no active cases in the community was a "big milestone".

"New Zealanders have once again through their collective actions squashed the virus. The systems that have been developed and strengthened since our first wave of Covid-19 have worked very effectively to chase down the virus, isolate it, and eliminate it," Hipkins said.

"It's really good news, but as always we cannot sit back. Constant vigilance and team work, with everyone playing their part to ensure we stay on top of the virus, needs to be our new normal for some time to come."

Since August 11, there have been 186 community cases of Covid-19 reported - 179 people linked to the Auckland August cluster, six people linked to the Christchurch returnees group, and the worker from the managed isolation facility at the Rydges.

"The scale and speed of the response ensured the virus was not allowed to spread unimpeded, as people worked around the clock to rapidly identify and isolate cases as they emerged in our communities, then trace and test their contacts," Chris Hipkins said.

There are 37 active cases in New Zealand - all of which are imported.

"The Auckland August cluster will officially close when there have been no new cases for two incubation periods from when all cases complete isolation," the Ministry of Health says.

One person remains on a ward in Middlemore hospital with Covid-19.

Yesterday there were three new cases in managed isolation.

The first case reported arrived from India on September 26 and was retested after returning a negative result at their routine test around day 3 of their time in managed isolation because they were a contact of a previously reported case.

The second case reported yesterday arrived on October 2 from England via Qatar and Australia and was tested after they developed symptoms.

The third case reported yesterday arrived on October 4 from India via England and Qatar and was tested on arrival because they developed symptoms on the flight.

Auckland will move to alert level 1 at 11.59pm tonight.

That means no limits on gatherings and the removal of social distancing requirements in restaurants and bars.

Masks are not required on public transport at alert level 1 but Ardern urged people to continue being vigilant - by washing hands, staying home if sick, scanning QR codes and getting tested if even feeling slightly sick.

What led to the PM's decision on the move

Cabinet met via Zoom on Monday to review Auckland's alert level.

The Auckland cluster was New Zealand's biggest but all signs pointed to it being under control, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said.

There had been no new cases in the cluster for 10 days, and only one case in the last two weeks.

Just five people from the cluster are yet to recover from Covid-19.

There was now a 95 per cent chance that the cluster had been eliminated, according to new modelling by Te Pūnaha Matahini.

St_SiRUS on October 7th, 2020 at 00:36 UTC »

NZ Covid Speedrun Any% Attempt #2

twitchyeye84 on October 7th, 2020 at 00:34 UTC »

Lol these mf just taking a victory lap at this point

SarmedNZ on October 7th, 2020 at 00:13 UTC »

Safe to lick lamp posts again