Covid 19 coronavirus: Health officials due to give latest update – as Brisbane deals with new community outbreak

There are 11 new Covid-19 border related cases in managed isolation.

It comes a day after one new positive case was reported at the border – a person who arrived from Ireland, via a flight from Qatar, on Thursday, March 18.

The returnee tested positive on their day eight test and is carrying out their 14-day managed isolation period in a facility in Auckland.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases found at the border is four, the Ministry of Health said.

No new cases in the community have been reported.

As of yesterday, the total number of cases in the country stands at 75 people. The total number of confirmed cases in New Zealand is 2126.

“Since 1 January 2021, there have been 42 historical cases, out of 314 cases,” a statement said yesterday.

Investigations continue at the Grand Mercure Auckland managed isolation facility, after health officials announced they were looking at the possibility of a transmission within the facility.

A returnee tested positive on day 12 of their stay – while out exercising – and was taken back to the hotel on the same bus as other returnees.

The infected traveller was also on another exercise bus two days earlier.

Officials later revealed that genome sequencing showed there was a link between two returnees.

However, they arrived in the country on separate flights – two days apart – and were staying in different rooms on completely different floors.

As a result, a number of people who were on that same bus had to have their managed isolation period extended and those people who had already left the facility asked to self-isolate at home.

Brisbane in lockdown after new community cases

As of 9am yesterday, a total of 235 of the 258 returnees affected had been contacted. Of those people, 167 have returned a negative result.

Meanwhile, Brisbane is heading into a three-day lockdown after 10 new cases were reported in Queensland – four being community cases.

Officials said the new community cluster is now made up of seven people. One of them is a nurse who works at Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The lockdown will begin at 5pm today, local time, and locals are urged not to panic buy.

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