There are 9 new border cases of Covid-19 today and no new community cases, the Ministry of Health says.
New cases
One of the new cases arrived from France on 17 November and tested positive at around day 3. The second and third cases also arrived on 17 November and returned positive tests about day 3. One of these people arrived from the Netherlands and the other from Dubai. All three cases are now in the Auckland quarantine facility.
The fourth case arrived from the United States on 19 November and tested positive around day 3. They are now in quarantine in Christchurch.
The fifth person, who tested positive around day 7, arrived from the United Kingdom on 14 November. They are in quarantine in Auckland.
The sixth and seventh new cases are two people, travelling separately, who arrived on the same flight from Bangladesh on 10 November. They tested positive about day 12. They are also now in the Auckland quarantine facility.
The eighth person arrived from Spain on 16 November and was identified about day 3. They are now in Auckland quarantine.
The ninth and final new case announced today also arrived on 16 November, travelling from Italy, and tested positive about day 3. They are in Christchurch quarantine.
The ministry says the varied origins of these cases is a clear reminder that as Covid-19 continues to batter countries and jurisdictions around the globe, mandatory isolation and testing will continue to be of critical importance as high numbers of New Zealanders return home before the holiday period.
November cluster
Genome sequencing of Case F, which was reported Saturday, has confirmed a direct link to the November quarantine cluster. Case F has been isolating since 7 November as a close contact of Case B. The ministry says this cluster is contained at this stage.
Active Cases & Testing
There are currently 50 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
The ministry continues to encourage anyone who visited a location of interest during the relevant time period for the November cluster to get tested to ensure they can quickly identify anyone who may have been infected.
As part of this enhanced surveillance, the ministry is continuing to have two pop-up testing facilities in central and east Auckland. Both locations are walk-in and do not require a pre-booked appointment.
The central Auckland pop-up testing location is on High Street close to a number of the 'locations of interest'. The east Auckland location is at Spectrum House, 292A Botany Road. These and other testing locations are available on the ARPHS website.
The ministry says NZ will have the best chance of staying ahead of Covid-19 if everyone who becomes unwell with cold or flu-like symptoms stays at home and seeks a test quickly. They also advise people to keep track of where they have been and who they have seen.