The Ministry of Health has confirmed the first new community Covid-19 case in the Southern DHB area during the current Omicron outbreak.
The case is currently in Queenstown and the ministry said investigations were underway to determine any links with existing cases outside of Southland.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult said the new case should be a wake-up call for the community.
“This may feel confronting with our district having been free from Covid for so long, but we knew it was coming. Over the coming weeks and months, we are highly likely to see more cases pop up.
“Have a chat to your household about what you would do in case you had to isolate at home,” he said in a statement.
Boult said he understood the individual was cooperating with health officials to identify any exposure sites.
Health officials reiterated that anyone in Queenstown with mild symptoms should get tested and isolate regardless of vaccination status.
“Please stay home or at your accommodation until you return a negative Covid-19 test result, and you are symptom free.”
They request anyone who has visited Queenstown recently to monitor for new locations of interest.
The ministry said testing is available at the following two sites in Frankton on Thursday:
- Engage Safety Covid-19 Testing Centre at 18 Glenda Avenue between 9am to 7pm.
- Te Kāika Testing Centre at Pin Oak Ave between 11am and 6pm.
No appointment is needed at either site.
The ministry said the case was notified after its cut off period so will be added to official figures on Friday.
Today (Thursday) there were a record 306 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand.
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