There have been no new cases reported in New Zealand today, and the Health Ministry says there continues to be no evidence of any transmission involving the traveller who tested positive for Covid-19 in South Korea.
File image. Photo: 123rf.com
The total number of confirmed cases remains at 1210 and it has been 91 days since the last case of Covid-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source.
Four more cases have recovered, meaning there are now 20 active cases in New Zealand, none of whom were in hospital.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said domestic contacts of the traveller who tested positive for the coronavirus when they arrived in South Korea had so far returned negative results.
"While these results reinforce that the public health risk from this case continues to be low, further contact tracing is taking place around their travel within New Zealand, including their visit to the Queenstown area in early July, the South Auckland area where they were based and Christchurch where they departed from."
District health boards will stand up a targeted testing surveillance programme this weekend.
The person was in Manurewa and Takanini in South Auckland on 20 June-20 July, Queenstown on 1-4 July and in and around Christchurch Airport on 20-21 July, the ministry said.
"If you have, or may have had symptoms, please contact Healthline or your GP for an assessment for testing. The Covid-19 assessment and Covid-19 testing are both free.
"People who may have been in those areas around those dates but have now moved elsewhere can also call Healthline for further advice about getting tested.
"We want to thank all contacts who have been tested around this case and we continue to encourage everyone who is offered a test to take this up. These negative test results provide us with confidence that New Zealand has no community transmission of Covid-19.
"Testing is the best way we can be assured that there is no undetected community transmission in New Zealand - and we need everyone to play their part in that. If you are offered a test for Covid-19 please get swabbed."
Yesterday 2476 tests were completed, of which 2022 swabs were taken in the community, and 454 were taken in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
In other Covid-19 news today, doctors are increasingly exasperated that unwell New Zealanders are saying no to Covid-19 tests.
For a full month the government's daily target of 4000 tests has failed to be met.
Yesterday, there was one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation in New Zealand.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the person was a woman in her 20s who had travelled from Ireland via Dubai.