Covid-19 in focus: Developments on 28 September

New cases of Covid-19 in the community fell to single figures today - from 12 yesterday to eight.

Seven of the eight Auckland infections were contacts of existing cases and six were in isolation during their infectious period.

There are currently 14 people in hospital, three in ICU or HDU.

The drop also saw an active sub-cluster effectively eliminated, bringing the number of the city's sub-clusters down to three.

However, the good news was tempered by the fact one new case was unlinked - a person who presented at Waitākere Hospital. That person was transferred to North Shore Hospital and remains isolated in a negative pressure room.

Five of Waitākere Hospital's emergency department staff have been stood down. Eight patients are being treated as contacts.

Tauranga wastewater result positive

Health officials also announced a positive sample of the virus in Tauranga's wastewater that had been collected last Thursday.

Further samples were taken from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui this morning, and additional samples were being taken from nearby areas.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said it could be a recovered case still shedding the virus, or an undetected acute case.

Border movement rules

Addressing media today Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced rules governing people being able to leave Auckland into a level 2 environment from 11.59pm this evening.

Everyone leaving the city will need to have a negative Covid-19 test in the 72 hours before their departure.

They must be leaving permanently to a property or travelling to a tertiary education residence; for shared caregiving arrangements and to return home from alert level 3 to an alert level 2 environment.

Those crossing the alert border boundary for shared caregiving must have a test within seven days of each crossing. Everyone must carry proof of why they are travelling and must not be sick.

Self-isolation pilot welcomed

There was widespread welcome expressed by business leaders to a pilot scheme that will allow those travelling overseas for business to forgo MIQ and isolate at home.

Capped at 150 people, it will be open for expressions of interest on Thursday.

New Zealand residents will need to arrive in New Zealand between 30 October and 8 December, with final travellers leaving isolation by 22 December.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson was asked about privacy issues related to cellphone-based monitoring of those taking part.

He told Morning Report people were signing up voluntarily. "No-one's making them do it and obviously the terms and conditions of the trial are part of signing up to it," he said.

Details about how the trial would be policed will be announced tomorrow.

Protest warning

It was revealed today Police commissioner Andrew Coster warned leader of Destiny Church Brian Tamaki about a planned protest in Auckland this weekend.

Coster wrote that while police respected protest as part of democracy that right must be weighed against the lawfulness of the activity.

He warned that gathering for a protest, run other than in compliance with the law, carried the risk of Covid-19 transmission and could lead to enforcement.

Officers return negative test results

Thirteen police officers self-isolating after an arrested woman tested positive for Covid-19 have returned initial negative results today.

The custody unit at Waitakere Station, closed after Corrections notified the positive case on Sunday, re-opened last night after a deep clean.

Covid-19 jab safe with other vaccines

New Zealanders can now receive the majority of other vaccines before, after, or at the same time as their Covid-19 vaccine, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said today.

"The Covid-19 Technical Advisory Group (CV-TAG) has recommended that most routine vaccinations such as MMR, HPV and the influenza vaccine may be administered before, after, or at the same time as the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, without concern for spacing," she said.

"The exception to this is the shingles vaccine, which has a recommended seven-day gap."

More MIQ bookings up for grabs

Another 3800 managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) bookings were up for grabs this evening using the government's online virtual lobby system.

Last Monday, more than 30,000 people logged in to try to get one of the rooms on offer.

Tonight's room release started at 6pm, and people could log into the MIQ portal from 5pm.

The release is for dates between October and December.

Air New Zealand added 31 'red' flights to their schedule in December for customers wanting to return from Australia before 31 December.

Seymour calls for elimination strategy to end

ACT leader David Seymour today said the government's Covid-19 strategy was no longer viable and called for an end to all regional lockdowns.

Act released its Covid 3.0 strategy this morning, which urged five changes of focus for the government.

These included a recognition that the strategy could no longer work; a move away "from isolating whole cities to isolating only those who it makes sense to isolate"; a move away from "chronic fear and uncertainty" towards "freedom"; a shift away from government-knows-best approach to what it called openness; and an overall strategic shift away from public health to what it called wellbeing.

Help to resolve tenancy disputes

The government has introduced changes to help ease the impacts of Covid-19 restrictions on both commercial and residential tenancies.

As part of the Covid-19 Response Legislation Bill introduced to Parliament, measures are being taken to help businesses resolve disputes over commercial rent, as well as provide greater certainty for landlords and tenants by protecting residential tenancies from being terminated during Covid-19 alert level 4.

Marathon postponed

The Auckland marathon has been postponed until January because of the Delta outbreak in the city.

Organisers said there was uncertainty around whether Auckland would move down to alert level 1 in time for the event on 31 October. The event has been postponed until 23 January next year.