Doctors are calling for more community testing for Covid-19 after further cases of the virus were picked up at the border.
New Zealand had two more confirmed cases yesterday, while guests in isolation at the Auckland Airport Novotel claimed to be in lockdown last night after being told of another new case there.
Health authorities are refusing to comment on those claims ahead of today’s 1pm briefing.
Tales from the country’s managed isolation facilities continued to flow all weekend, with a contact of one positive case saying he’s spent the first half of his isolation in three different hotels.
Todd Ealam told 1 NEWS he’s now in quarantine with infected travellers despite still waiting to be tested himself.
Another returned traveller has told Stuff her managed isolation process has been so shambolic , she’s planning to isolate at home for another two weeks to ensure she’s not a risk to the community.
Air Commodore Darryn Webb admits testing at isolation facilities needs to improve. He says it’s an area “we’re absolutely going to be bolstering”.
Dr Bryan Betty of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners says GPs are concerned about potential “leakage” of Covid-19 due to lax border controls.
He says they want community testing ramped up in the next few weeks to ensure there’s no community spread of the virus.
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Isolation expands to provinces
Meanwhile, with Auckland’s hotels hitting capacity with isolating travellers, Housing Minister Megan Woods is not ruling out adding more isolation facilities in the regions.
It comes as more than 230 people who arrived in New Zealand over the weekend discovered they would be completing their 14-day isolation in Rotorua instead of Auckland.
Some of those passengers expressed their shock at the move, saying they weren’t advised they were going to Rotorua until 15 minutes into their bus trip from Auckland Airport.
Ms Woods says with Covid-19 “growing, not slowing” overseas, new quarantine facilities will need to be introduced to keep the wider public safe.
Tributes flow for fallen officer
The Herald reports some of those passengers bussed to isolation facilities in Rotorua include relatives of slain police officer, Constable Matthew Hunt.
The move is said to have “added to the level of grief and frustration” being felt by his family.
Constable Hunt’s colleagues and friends paid emotional tributes to him yesterday after he was gunned down while on duty in the Auckland suburb of Massey on Friday.
Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan wiped away tears as she described Constable Hunt as “an outstanding police officer”.
“He is and will continue to be sorely missed by us all,” she said. “He was killed serving his country. There is no higher price.”
A woman charged in relation to Friday’s shooting is due to appear in court this morning. The man accused of Constable Hunt’s murder will appear in court next month.
Police respond to arrest video
Police have responded to a video uploaded to social media that appears to show officers kneeling on a man during an arrest in central Auckland.
Stuff reports 26-year-old Nikau Andrews suffered several injuries while being arrested for tagging a wall at the weekend.
However, police say he “violently resisted” arrest. They also say they called for an ambulance when he complained of chest pains.
Auckland District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus notes video of the arrest “starts part-way through the interaction between police and the alleged offender”, saying “we would encourage care to be taken when viewing images or video in isolation”.
UK stabbings 'a terrorist attack'
The fatal stabbing of three people in a park in the UK over the weekend has been declared a terror incident.
Khairi Saadallah, a 25-year-old Libyan national, was arrested at the scene of the murders in Reading. The Guardian reports Saadallah was known to intelligence services.
Other news of note this morning:
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is asking the Government to fast-track the city’s application to take more water from the Waikato River. Auckland’s continued drought struggles come as Wellington recorded a month’s worth of rain in just a week .
Australian authorities are fighting a fresh wave of Covid-19 in Victoria, as authorities close schools and drastically limit gatherings.
Hands are already going up to be the next coach at the Warriors following Stephen Kearney’s shock sacking over the weekend.
Animal activists are concerned greyhound racing is getting a slice of the racing industry’s Covid-19 relief package. You can watch Mark Crysell’s investigation into the issue here .
The owner of Eskimo Pie is changing the name of its nearly century-old ice cream bar, the latest brand to reckon with racially charged logos and marketing.
And TVNZ is looking for contestants for its second season of The Bachelorette NZ. So, if you enjoy quirky group dates and dramatic rose ceremonies under the watchful gaze of the nation, then get amongst .
And finally...
Is it art or political propaganda?
The above poster of Jacinda Ardern is currently under investigation by the Electoral Commission after several complaints it breaches rules around political advertising.
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is among those asking if the posters should be considered election ads, however artists Otis Frizzell and Mike Weston say they were very careful with their design.
“It doesn’t say Labour anywhere ... it’s not Labour red. It’s red and blue. It doesn’t have the Labour font. There’s no logos. It doesn’t say vote, there’s no call to action. It just says love."
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