Ministry of Health Covid-19 update
November 27, 2020
There are seven cases of Covid-19 to report in managed isolation in New Zealand today. There are no new cases in the community.
Six of the cases are members of the Pakistan men’s cricket team announced by the Ministry last night.
The seventh case reported today arrived on November 23 and tested positive during routine day 3 testing.
There are now 66 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
Our total number of confirmed cases is now 1691.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 7454 tests for Covid-19, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 1,260,055
Pakistan Cricket Team
The Pakistan Cricket Team will be undergoing day 3 testing today as planned. The exemption to train while in managed isolation does not come into effect until after day 3 test results are available and only once a medical officer of health can be satisfied that they are unlikely to transmit Covid-19.
As per usual protocols, all cases have been interviewed and close contacts, including flight contacts, have been, or are in the process of being, contacted.
All passengers who arrived on the same flight as the Pakistan Cricket Team are currently staying in an MIQ facility to carry out their 14 days in isolation.
Investigations will continue today. Any of the team identified as a close contact would not meet the requirements for the exemption as there is a risk that they could transmit Covid-19 to fellow team mates.
The Pakistan Cricket Team members that arrived in New Zealand met the agreed predeparture requirements for travel, including multiple PCR tests, and symptom checks.
Exemptions allowing people to train while in managed isolation are very difficult to obtain and any team that receives such an exemption is in a privileged position.
A number of the incidents reported yesterday that constituted breach of the rules of managed isolation, included players leaving rooms without masks, mingling and chatting in hallways, and passing items.
The touring party is staying in a separate wing of the managed isolation facility at the Chateau on the Park in Christchurch. The reported breaches have occurred within the touring party and do not affect other guests at the facility.
Since the team was issued with a warning, compliance with MIQ rules in the facility has significantly improved. We thank members of the team for their cooperation with the case investigations following the announcement of positive cases within the team. Cooperation and compliance are critical in ensuring New Zealand is kept safe from Covid-19.
Air New Zealand case
Auckland Regional Public Health Service continues to identify any locations of interest the Air New Zealand staff member may have visited and any associated close contacts.
To date, there have been 17 close contacts identified. Eleven have returned a negative result and the remaining six are pending.
The Ministry of Health has sent out six push notifications through the NZ Covid Tracer app for locations of interest that were visited by the Air New Zealand worker.
As at 10am today, 106 app users have received contact alerts from these notifications.
Black Friday
Anyone heading out to make the most of Black Friday sales should remember to scan in using the NZ Covid Tracer app to keep a private record of their movements.
Customers should also wear a mask in places where you cannot physically distance yourself from others, and wash and sanitise your hands regularly.
As always – if you are unwell, stay at home and seek advice on getting a test – you can still shop online while keeping your community safe.
NZ Covid Tracer app
NZ Covid Tracer now has 2,384,300 registered users.
Poster scans have reached 127,285,389, and users have created 5,173,924 manual diary entries.
Whatever you do this weekend, keep track of it with your contact tracing app or physical diary – you never know when you will have been in contact with a case of Covid-19 and need to recall your movements for the previous two weeks.
