Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says he's very disappointed the British DJ at the centre of an Omicron community scare didn't follow isolation rules properly.
Up to 100 people could be isolating as a result of close contact with the man who tested positive for Omicron and spent time in the Auckland community.
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Hipkins was giving an update this morning as New Zealand's first case of the highly transmissible variant Omicron in the community was confirmed.
The DJ was due to perform at Rhythm & Alps music festival near Wanaka on New Year's Eve. He had been active in the Auckland community for two days after not waiting for a test result.
Late last night Robert Etheridge, who is double vaccinated, said he was "devastated" to learn he had tested positive for the highly transmissible new variant while in New Zealand. He goes by the name DJ Dimension.
The Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday that Etheridge did not wait for a negative test result before he left the place he was self-isolating at in Auckland. A number of close contacts have been identified, but those tested had returned negative results.
Hipkins told media this morning that health officials have identified four cases in the same managed isolation facility as Etheridge.
However, there is no link between the cases and man, he said, and they are waiting on genome results for the fourth person.
Hipkins said officials still did not have the full picture of the case but up to 100 people were now isolating after close contact with Etheridge.
"I think it's disappointing he didn't follow rules. The Omicron variant, up until this one case, has been well contained at the border."
Hipkins said booster doses would be available in larger numbers "from late next week" at most walk-in vaccination clinics.
The minister reiterated that a lockdown for Auckland wasn't being considered at the moment. The city, which was under severe restrictions for months due to the Delta outbreak, is set to move from red to orange in the country's Covid traffic light system.
"At this point there is no case to reinstate any boundaries" or stop Auckland from shifting to orange, he said.
When asked if New Zealand should be closed to non-citizens, he replied: "Look, I don't want to overreact to this ... We are moving to a different space now. We are going to have Covid-19 in the community."
It could have been a case with just a few contacts, he said, had Etheridge followed the rules.
DJ visited Auckland nightclub, restaurants, Waiheke Island
He ended his stint and spent two days in the community - including going to Auckland bars and restaurants and Waiheke Island - before he got the results of his day-nine Covid test; the one which would come back as positive.
The Impala nightclub, Partridge Jewellers, Sunny Town China Taste, Ahi Restaurant and Soul Bar are listed as locations of interest. People at these locations of interest are considered casual contacts and should watch for symptoms for the next 14 days.
Minister Hipkins said it appeared Etheridge was out and about on Waiheke Island.
""He didn't wait, unfortunately, until he received his negative day nine test. As a result, those people (he came into contact with on Boxing Day) ... find themselves having to self-isolate as well."
Was Hipkins concerned they might not have found all the people at the nightclub?
"My understanding is that it was a private event, so the list is quite defined."
Hipkins said he did not know if the DJ had a vax pass or how he got to Waiheke Island.
People are allowed to use public transport or connecting flights, but have to follow all the public health advice.
"We ask people to isolate until after they get the results from their day nine test," Hipkins said.
"We ask people to stay in their bubbles while self-isolating. That hasn't been the case here and that's very disappointing.
"It is of course a reminder ... that while many of us feel like were over Covid, Covid-19 is not over with us."
DJ 'devastated'
In a statement on his Instagram page late on Wednesday night, DJ Dimension said he tested positive after 10 days of isolation and was "devastated" to learn he has Omicron.
"In line with the Government rules, I was in managed isolation for seven days followed by three days of home isolation," Etheridge said.
"During this time, I received three negative tests and showed no symptoms. After completing my ten-day isolation, and of the understanding that I had completed my quarantine, I entered the community. To my shock and enormous concern, I unexpectedly received a positive test on day twelve, two days after my isolation period had ended."
The community exposure was announced on Wednesday, just hours after 17 new Omicron cases were detected at the border - the highest daily increase since the variant arrived in the country on December 16.
