20 Aug 2021

Covid-19 outbreak: More Wellington sites, Spark Arena added to locations of interest

9:18 pm on 20 August 2021

More locations of interest in Wellington have been revealed, as well as a Mitre 10 awards dinner at Spark Arena in Auckland.

A deserted central Wellington during the August 2021 lockdown.

A deserted central Wellington during the August 2021 lockdown. Photo: AFP

The Wellington locations include:

  • Countdown Johnsonville Road between 4.30pm and 5pm on 18 August
  • Johnsonville Medical Centre Pharmacy between 4.15pm and 4.45pm on 18 August
  • 1841 Bar and Restaurant in Johnsonville between 7pm and 9pm on 17 August
  • One Sushi Porirua between 6.15pm and 6.30pm on 17 August
  • The Roast Canteen in Johnsonville between 5.30 pm and 5.45 pm on 17 August
  • St Pierre's Sushi in Johnsonville Mall between 5.15pm and 5.30pm on 17 August

Advice for people at these locations at these times differs, and is included on the Ministry of Health's website detailing locations of interest.

In addition, people who were on the 5pm flight NZ445 from Auckland to Wellington last Sunday have been asked to isolate for 14 days and get a Covid-19 test as soon as possible.

Two people who have now tested positive for Covid-19 were on the flight.

Hundreds of people who attended a Mitre 10 Awards dinner, held at Spark Arena on 12 August, have also been asked to isolate by health officials.

Somebody who attended the awards is understood to have contracted Covid-19.

In a statement, Mitre 10 said it had been told the awards dinner was now a location of interest.

Spark Area, Auckland - formerly vector arena

Photo: RNZ / Kymberlee Fernandes

People from throughout the country attended the awards dinner.

The country was at alert level 1 at the time of the event, and Mitre 10 said appropriate protocols were in place such as QR codes and contact tracing capability.

Ministry of Health has been updating its list of locations of interest, as contact tracers continue to work with identified community cases.

Other locations of interest reported today include bus routes, train journeys, a kindergarten, churches and a RSA bowling club in Auckland.

The full list - recorded by date - can be found on the ministry's website, and an interactive map can be found here.

New locations listed this afternoon show an Auckland kindergarten was visited by a case on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Blockhouse Bay Christian Kindergarten was also visited on weekdays dating back to 3 August. The Church of Christ Mount Roskill and Assembly of God (AOG) Church in Māngere are also listed as new locations of interest.

The New Lynn RSA Bowling Club is also on the list, with a case there last Sunday, and multiple bus routes, including route 326 Māngere - Otahuhu, route 309X Queen St - Newmarket - Māngere and bus 95B or 95C Northcote College to Glenfield have also been added.

Anyone who was at these locations at the specific time and date listed is being told to isolate for 14 days and be tested multiple times.

People are asked to continue checking the list of locations of interest and follow official advice if they were at a place at the same time and date as a positive case.

It was confirmed today that three of the new 11 community cases are in Wellington. They had visited a location of interest in Auckland over the weekend and returned to Wellington before the country went into lockdown.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the trio had visited four cafes and restaurants, one medical centre, one pharmacy, one work site, and four petrol stations between Auckland and Wellington. These would be added to the locations of interest later today, he said.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told Checkpoint he will be following up with contact tracers about why there are delays getting locations of interest details onto the ministry's website.

"I want the information out there as fast as possible. We'll be following up with them as to why that information hasn't been published yet, but certainly they do go through a very thorough process," he said.

He acknowledged the system is under a lot of pressure, but is not overwhelmed. There is a lot of detail to get through accurately, he said.

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