The Ministry of Health said yesterday evening 135 contacts of Covid-19 cases had come from the South Island and 50 of them were in the area covered by the Southern District Health Board.
There were still no confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 in the South Island yesterday.
However, the number of people in isolation could be higher than the ministry’s figures suggest.
Test results of more than 50 Bayleys real estate agency staff in the South had come back negative following their attendance at a conference in Auckland, a company spokesman said last night.
Mitre 10 also staged a national event in Auckland that attracted people from the South Island.
Both had been flagged as Covid locations of interest.
Bayleys Metro managing partner Mark Stevens, of Dunedin, said nearly all the test results were in for his 19 staff and none were positive.
Bayleys Queenstown managing director David Gubb said yesterday 25 employees from Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago and 10 from Southland were at the conference on August 12.
All staff went into self-isolation and all had since undergone their first of two tests.
Staff would continue to self-isolate until Friday.
Mitre 10 Mega Oamaru posted on social media a "very small number'' of staff attended the Auckland function on August 13, and were now isolating.
Winton Mitre 10 owner Craig Flynn posted on social media that he and two others had attended the event.
Their Covid tests were negative, "which I must say is a huge relief".
Both the Bayleys and Mitre 10 functions were held when New Zealand was at Level 1.
The ministry continued to urge vigilance yesterday and Covid-19 health system response deputy chief executive Bridget White said the number of contacts had increased significantly, including in the South Island.
"This is something we expected, as we identify and investigate more cases, and test in large numbers."
• Healthline: 0800 358 5453.
