Several close contacts of the family with Covid-19 in Stratford are symptomatic and are being tested.
By Local Democracy Reporter Craig Ashworth
Six cases of Covid-19 were found in Stratford yesterday and the first locations of interest have been announced.
The three adults and three children were tested on Thursday and are infected and isolating, with one of them being treated in Taranaki Base Hospital.
Taranaki District Health Board's medical officer of health Dr Jonathan Jarman said more cases are on the way.
"It's an evolving situation and we've been following up some close contacts who are symptomatic… there will definitely be more cases."
Dr Jarman said the family had not been using the Covid tracer app so health workers are tracing their steps manually.
They are from one family and two of them had been in Auckland at the end of October.
Locations of interest just announced include New World Supermarket in Stratford last Thursday, Mackays Pharmacy Stratford on Tuesday and Thursday, and Bunnings Warehouse in Hāwera also on Tuesday.
The eight iwi in Taranaki have called for the region to move to a Level 3 lockdown.
Dr Jarman said Ministry of Health officials will carry out a public health assessment this afternoon to determine whether a lockdown is needed.
"What we're finding is that things are changing so quickly, every time I open my computer there's another half a dozen emails."
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said in a virtual meeting this morning DHB officials said the family had been to medical centres in Stratford and Hāwera, but that those were not being announced as locations of interest as staff on duty at the time had tested negative.
"We have called for a Level 3, the iwi unanimously called for Level 3.
"When they tell me that somebody travelled to ED in Hāwera, they moved out of Stratford and were in Hāwera, so Hāwera has been at risk of exposure.
"You cannot tell me in eleven days you don't go and get kai."
It has been 12 days since waste water was sampled from Stratford and subsequently found to contain Covid-19 viral fragments, and samples from another four days also tested positive.
Ngāruahine and Ngāti Ruanui health workers are testing for Covid-19 in middle of the town, backed by their iwi organisations, and Taranaki DHB also has set up a testing station.
Ngarewa-Packer is working at Ngāti Ruanui's testing and vaccinations pop-up clinic and said traffic through the town is heavy.
"Fifty percent of people in Stratford don't work in Stratford, they travel around the rest of the takiwā (region)."
Te Aorangi Dillon who is coordinating Ngāruahine's response and said people should not wait for an alert level change.
"Whānau please stay home if you don't need to be out travelling around at this point in time.
"Until we know where this is, we just need everybody to stay home and stay safe unless you need to come out and get tested."
Taranaki Māori vaccination rates are 72 percent for the first dose and 53 percent for the second, significantly behind overall rates of 86 percent first dose and 73 percent second.
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