There are again no new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in the community today after widespread community testing in Auckland and Northland, the Ministry of Health says.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said "to date we have no evidence of community transmission either in Northland, nor in the Auckland region."
Today marks the second day no new cases have been announced in the community after three returnees, who had finished their time in managed isolation at the Pullman Hotel, tested positive for the South African variant of the virus this week.
Extensive testing and contact-tracing has been taking place in the Northland and Auckland areas this week in an effort to contain any chance of a new cluster.
A total of 6121 tests were processed yesterday and just over 38,000 tests have been processed over the past week.
There are six new cases of Covid-19 within managed isolation and quarantine facilities, making New Zealand's current active number of cases in those facilities 72.
Of the 353 people who stayed at the Pullman at the same time as the first positive case, 312 have now had a confirmed negative test, along with the previously-known and isolated two positive community cases.
The remaining 39 people are being urgently followed up today, Bloomfield said, and most were either waiting on a result or waiting on a test.
Bloomfield said his understanding was that those remaining 39 were very much "willing" to be tested again, but had not been yet, for various logistical reasons.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said ESR have been at the Pullman isolation facility all day today investigating how Covid-19 was transmitted there, and the results of that investigation is expected to come through tonight or tomorrow morning.
Hipkins also said he understands that a lot of people will travel this weekend, including in and out of Northland, and said they can do so - but must remember Level 1 safety advice.
People should wash hands thoroughly and often, practice good cough and sneeze etiquette, stay at home and get tested if they feel sick, turn on the Bluetooth function on their NZ COVID Tracer app, and scan QR codes diligently at locations they visit.
"If you are unwell, do not go out and do not travel this weekend - please change your travel plans," Bloomfield said.
The Ministry of Health has published and updated a list of locations where the positive cases visited while they were possibly infectious, and anyone who has been at one of those places at the designated time should stay at home and get tested.
New Zealand has so far had a total of 1949 confirmed Covid-19 cases.
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