Health, medical, social and employment provider Te Puna Ora o Mataatua has set up a mobile Covid19 testing station in Whakatane.
Mataatua people got used to seeing Te Puna Ora o Mataatua staff during the first lockdown and the health provider was ready when the news broke late Tuesday night that Covid-19 had escaped into the community.
Contracts manager Arapeta Taitoko says that, while Te Puna Ora has enough supplies for now, it has asked the local district health board for more assistance after close to 200 people were tested before lunchtime today.
In the Prime Minister's announcement on Tuesday, Jacinda Ardern said the three-day lockdown would end on midnight Friday but Te Puna Ora o Mataatua is planning for a much longer stay. The group is also returning to food and supply drop-offs for whanau in need.