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Scanning or record keeping to become mandatory / 21 new cases

The Southland App

Paul Taylor

22 August 2021, 1:33 AM

Scanning or record keeping to become mandatory / 21 new cases

New Zealand again has 21 new community cases of Covid-19 Delta variant today, bringing the total to 72.


For the second day running, 21 cases were reported, with 20 in Auckland and 1 in Wellington. The Wellington case was initially reported yesterday. 


Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, in the 1pm press conference, said all the cases have been transferred to quarantine facilities. 


Of the 72 total, 61 have been confirmed as part of the Auckland cluster. The remaining 11 are under investigation, but initial observations show obvious links to the cluster for almost all of them. 


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There are also three new cases in managed isolation.


Some 8,667 individual contacts have been formally identified, virtually all are close contacts. 


Contract tracers have formally followed up with 4,124 and they are self isolating. Work is underway to contact the remaining 4,500 or so. 


There are now 280 locations of interest, a new online search map to work through them.


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Bloomfield says there have again been positive wastewater tests in Auckland and one testing site in Wellington, linked to the cases there. 


"Otherwise there have been no other positive detections in our wastewater testing."


Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said scanning in using the tracer app, or signing in, is set to become mandatory for most events and businesses at all alert levels. 


"It's clear that when people use the app, or manually sign in, rather than relying on their memory, contact tracing can happen much more quickly," Hipkins said.


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"And as we know, particularly in light of what we're facing with the Delta variant, speed means a lot." 


This will become effective seven days after the alert level is downgraded and more businesses open. It is already mandatory at alert level 4.


"The obligation will be on the person responsible for the place or the gathering to ensure that people scan or sign in."


More than 52,000 people were vaccinated yesterday, a new weekend record, bringing the total to more than one million fully vaccinated in New Zealand.


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Some 73% of people over the age of 40 have either had at least one jab, or are booked in.


Hipkins said 382,500 doses of Pfizer arrived in the country yesterday, meaning there are more than 750,000 are on hand.


"That means we can scale up without having to worry about running out." 

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