The tentacles of the latest Covid-19 outbreak are continuing to spread right across Auckland and beyond with more than 13,000 contacts and more than 300 locations of interest identified.
A few of the locations of interest that were announced on Sunday. Photo: Google Maps
Thirty-five new cases were announced today - all but two of them in Auckland, bringing the total to 107.
Contact tracers are working around the clock as they try to track down people who potentially came into contact with the virus at running events, in supermarkets, at fast food outlets and on public transport.
An Athletics Auckland running event in Cornwall Park was one of the latest locations to be added to the Ministry of Health's ballooning list.
Dianne Craddock from the club said about 200 children and 40 adults attended the event on Saturday 14 August, but she was not too concerned.
"I think most people were behaving sensibly anyway and we encouraged the use of the [Covid Tracer] app, so hopefully several of them did that, but we definitely have lists via the clubs of all of the attendees who were there, so they can be easily contacted," she said.
Craddock said the club was notified this morning that the event was a location of interest - and she wanted everyone to do the right thing and get tested.
"We're just contacting people as when we are able and encouraging everyone to follow protocol."
The Auckland Performing Arts Centre in Western Springs, popularly known as TAPAC, was another new location of interest. Its executive director Sarah Somerville said only five people attended the affected dancing class on Friday, 13 August.
Jacinda Ardern holds a map showing contacts around the country. Photo: Stuff / Robert Kitchin
"We're identifying close contacts as quickly as we can and notifying them as quickly as we can, and that if any of the casual contacts are displaying symptoms, we will be encouraging them to go and get a test as well."
Somerville said the centre has a robust system to handle situations like this.
"We're always concerned of the impact, not just for ourselves, but for everybody at the moment. We'll be taking all the necessary precautions. We'll be doing a deep clean of all our studios as well as our theatre space before we can consider opening again at level 2."
An Auckland church identified as a location of interest last week said the close contacts of a family who tested positive for Covid-19 have returned negative results so far.
Michael Humphries from the Church of Christ in Mount Roskill said that was good news but they were not out of the woods yet, with their day-12 tests coming up.
"We're just waiting to see how it plays out ... we'll just have to keep our eye on things and see whether as things progress, what we can do with people that need help. "
The Samoan Assembly of God Church in Māngere was also in the spotlight. Anyone who was there on Sunday the 15 August is being told to isolate and get tested.
Church spokesperson Jerome Mika said they were working with the Ministry of Health and health providers to make sure that happens.
South Seas Healthcare in Ōtara has set up a pop-up testing centre and its chief executive Silao Vaisola-Sefo said isolation will be tough for many members of the church community. He said they were trying to meet their wider needs beyond swabbing.
"Blankets and food and hand sanitisers, masks and also other social service support," Vaisola-Sefo said.
The Ministry of Health is asking anyone who was at a location of interest, at the specified times, to call Healthline and get tested. Anyone with cold or flu symptoms should also call Healthline and get a test.
