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National | News

Auckland family member with Covid-19 visited Rotorua

Covid-19 testing in Rotorua is to increase after a member of the Auckland family who tested positive yesterday confirmed she had visited the city over the weekend.

Health director-general Dr Ashley Bloomfield says that, after further interviews with the family, it was revealed one of the cases, a woman in her 20s travelled to Rotorua on Saturday while she was symptomatic.

“It was actually a family of four who travelled to Rotorua. We are working with urgency to find out the places the family may have visited while in Rotorua over the weekend but the important thing is here that people in Rotorua and around the country should be vigilant and help and seek the advice if they have any symptoms,” Dr Bloomfield says.

He says there are testing sites available in both Rotorua and Taupō.

“In Rotorua, it is in Vaughan Road and there will be a pop-up testing centre in addition opening up and that site will be announced for locals.”

He says since Rotorua is a popular destination, the news of potential community transmission there is expected.

“We expect that people will have been there from around the motu and we fully expected, because we were at Alert Level 1 with freedom of movement and people moving around the country, that should we get a case it would, in fact, require a nationwide response.”

The testing site on 2 Vaughan Road operates as a drive-through facility. People visiting are asked to following the signage and the traffic cones and observe all staff requests. Entry to the swabbing clinic is off Vaughan Road, and the exit to Te Ngae Road.