Lakes District Hospital staff are be tested as a precaution after a nurse was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Southern District Health Board said 36 staff were being tested and extensive cleaning was being undertaken at the hospital while the Public Health team investigated how the nurse contracted the virus. 

"We are aware of a number of cases in the Queenstown likely due to community transmission and are exploring all possible ways of exposure for this nurse," the DHB says.

"While there have been two COVID-19 patients cared for at Lakes District Hospital, the nurse did not provide care directly to either of these patients."

"Lakes District Hospital is a small facility and the nurse was in contact with a number of staff members in the days prior to the onset of symptoms, when she could have been infectious. She was not in contact with any patients during this time."

All of the staff she has had close contact have gone into immediate 14-day self isolation.Additional staff were being tested and the hospital extensively cleaned as a precaution.

During the period of testing and cleaning, Lakes District Hospital will continue to operate its emergency department, however, any patient who requires admission will be transferred to another facility.

Primary maternity services remain open. As part of the COVID-19 preparation, the Southern DHB had relocated the primary birthing unit to a separate building on the Lakes District hospital site and this was now open.

There are now 82 confirmed and one probable case in the Southern district - 31 of these are in the Queenstown Lakes district.