Pasifika community urged to remain calm and compliant

Pasifika medical experts in New Zealand are urging the community to remain calm, abide by lockdown rules and continue to use the Covid Tracer application.

Auckland moved to alert level 3 and the rest of the country to alert level 2 after three community cases of Covid-19 were discovered.

Genomic sequencing revealed the cases were the UK variant of the virus and authorities were conducting contact tracing to try and determine the origin and extent of the latest outbreak.

Auckland paediatrician Teuila Percival urged Pasifika communities to apply all the lessons learned from past outbreaks.

"Staying home if you can stay home, sticking to your family bubble. We'll just hear every day with the government press conferences if there are more cases," Percival said.

"Your GP, they're there on the end of the phone the same with the Healthline. We just have to stay calm, we have done this before.

"If you are unwell, yes absolutely go and get tested."

Senior Pasifika Medical Association member Dr Collin Tukuitonga urged the community to keep using the Covid Tracer app.

Tukuitonga used the recent Northland case as an example of the effectiveness and efficiency of using the app.

He also recognised the infected woman's diligence after she completed her two-week quarantine as she used the app and visited 32 locations over nine days, which included cafes and supermarkets.

Because of this, health officials were able to track her movements quickly and notify those who may have come in contact with her, he said.

It showed how effective the Covid Tracer app was and Tukuitonga encouraged the Pacific community to keep using it whether at alert level 3 or at alert level 2 - with greater access to churches and other public venues.

Tukuitonga also reiterated the importance of following further health guidelines, such as wearing masks, washing hands regularly and getting a Covid-19 test if experiencing symptoms, like coughing and a fever.