The Director General of Health is warning there will be a large number of locations of interest as the latest cases of Covid-19 in the community were "out and about a lot".
People should expect many locations of interest (file image). Photo: RNZ
As of 9pm on Wednesday there were 54 locations of interest in Auckland and 14 in the Coromandel.
The were updated on the Ministry of Health website throughout Wednesday.
If you have been at any of these locations of interest during the relevant time, the Ministry of Health asks you self-isolate and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on what to do to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
In addition, a section 70 order enables an authorised Medical Officer of Health to require those who have visited a location of interest to meet public health requirements.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield earlier said because most of the new cases were in their twenties, officials were expecting they had visited many locations.
There are now 10 community cases in the new outbreak.
More Auckland connections
In addition, an Auckland University of Technology (AUT) student was among the new cases of Covid-19 reported in the community today.
The student was at a lecture at the university's city campus between 11.30am and 1pm on Tuesday. AUT identified 84 other people who were at the lecture, and said all close contacts will be contacted by health officials.
SkyCity says its staff are isolating and it's reviewing surveillance footage after it was visited by someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
The person was on the casino's main gaming floor between 1.15am and 3am on Saturday morning.
SkyCity says it's working with health authorities to help with contact tracing and the area will undergo a deep clean.
All SkyCity members are being contacted, to ask them to follow health advice if they were present at the same time as the case.
Additionally, all students and staff of Auckland's Avondale College are considered close contacts of a Covid-19 case, after a teacher from the school tested positive for the virus.
The 25-year-old woman is one of seven confirmed cases in the community.
In a letter from Auckland Regional Public Health Service, all staff and students have been told to self-isolate at home for 14 days, aside from visiting a testing facility.
The school community has been told to get tested three times - immediately, and a further two times on the 23rd and 29th of August.
Another of the new cases was a nurse at Auckland Hospital. The worker was fully vaccinated.
The other locations of interest identified so far have been in the Coromandel.
People could also expect this outbreak to grow to up to 120 cases, Bloomfield said.
Te Pūnaha Matatini and University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank said, in comments provided by the Science Media Centre, "at this stage modelling suggests that somewhere in the range of 50 to 120 people could have been infected prior to yesterday's positive test result.
"Many of these will still be in their incubation period so it may take a few days to see them come through in the case numbers.
"There is a wide range of uncertainty in the outbreak size at this stage. If it turns out a close link can be established with a case who has returned from NSW via the MIQ system, the outbreak could be at the small end of the scale.
"If the source case travelled to NZ from another Australian state not required to go into MIQ, the virus could have been spreading undetected for some time and the outbreak could be much bigger."
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This is an official Covid-19 ALERT.
All of New Zealand is now at Covid-19 alert level 4.
The alert level will be reviewed after 3 days for all areas EXCEPT Auckland & Coromandel Peninsula which is likely to remain at level 4 for an initial period of 7 days.
A community case of Covid-19 has been identified.
Stay at home where possible & follow the Alert Level 4 guidelines. This will stop the spread of COVID-19 and SAVE LIVES.
Everyone is asked to:
Wear a mask and keep a 2 metre distance from others whenever you leave your home.
If you are sick, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice about getting tested.
Keep on scanning QR codes whenever you leave your home.
Practice good hygiene - wash hands often.
Services including supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics & petrol stations will stay open at Alert Level 4.
For more information on Alert Level 4 go to [the government website www.covid19.govt.nz]
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Kia Kaha - Stay Strong
