The source of the mystery Auckland Covid-19 case has been revealed and there are no new cases connected to it.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said genomic testing had linked student's case to the defence force cluster.
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Hipkins said this was positive news and the Auckland CBD would be reopened and the city would stay at alert level 1.
"We don't yet have a confirmed theory for how the virus was transmitted between the cases we are dealing with and we are not in a position at this stage to completely rule out other as yet unidentified cases flowing from that."
This was why the Government was asking New Zealanders to act with caution to reduce the risk of spread.
"Events can take place but we are asking people to act with caution," Hipkins said.
On Monday Hipkins would take an order to Cabinet seeking to make mask use on public transport in Auckland mandatory, including flights going into and out of the city.
The Government would also consider mass masking in other areas where there was an increased risk, including in other locations where there was managed isolation facilities.
He was also looking into making it mandatory to scan into some events.
There was now public health staff outside the apartment building where the student lived after reports of people coming and going.
Asked why they were not there earlier, Hipkins said he understood there would be public health officials at the Vincent St building last night but it "became apparent" this morning that hadn't happened.
He and director of public health Caroline McElnay are holding a press conference, which started at 2pm instead of the usual 1pm.
Student now fourth member of defence force cluster
McElnay said there were four new cases to announce today, all in managed isolation.
McElnay said the genome sequencing of the student's case was identical to one in the defence force cluster and the investigation is now focusing on the link between the woman and the other confirmed cases.
The way the student's case was linked to the defence force cluster was not yet known, apart from the fact she and a person in the defence force cluster lived in the same area of Auckland.
The conference was delayed by an hour to wait for more pieces of information. Results of the genomic testing were due this afternoon.
Hipkins said it was unwise for the defence to hold the face to face meeting which resulted in the spread of the cluster and said such meetings should not happen in future.
He had made it clear to the defence force that face to face meetings should only happen if there was a "critical need".
"Those meetings probably could have been done using Zoom or some other electronic means and we may have avoided a chain of transmission that we have subsequently had to deal with."
Stay home if you feel sick
McElnay said anyone in the Auckland area or throughout New Zealand who has cold or flu symptoms should stay home and get a test then stay isolated until you get a negative result.
If you were in Auckland CBD at locations of interest, you should get at test regardless of whether you have symptoms.
Hipkins said the four cases connected to the cluster "feel the weight of the entire country on their shoulders" and they didn't deserve to be the subject of abuse.
He said "being in the eye of the storm" could impact on their ability to recall their movements.
The latest community case, a woman in her 20s, was reported yesterday sparking an investigation into how she might have been infected with the virus.
She felt ill on Monday, got a test on Tuesday but went to work and wore a mask at A-Z Collections on High St after a conversation with her manager.
The new community case, a woman in her 20s, was reported yesterday sparking an investigation into how she might have been infected with the virus.
There were no immediate obvious links to managed isolation, overseas travel or the border.
She felt ill on Monday, got a test on Tuesday but went to work and wore a mask at A-Z Collections on High St after a conversation with her manager.
It was also revealed this morning she visited the Auckland university hub on Tuesday.
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service said the Auckland University of Technology student who tested positive for Covid-19 this week was at the city campus student hub on Tuesday when she was infectious.
She was there for 10 minutes, from 2.30pm to 2.40pm.
The health service said it regarded this interaction as low risk.
Anyone in the vicinity at that time would be regarded as casual contacts, officials said today.
The AUT student hub is where students can get help with issues on campus and provides students with access to a range of services and support options.
The public health service said today if people were in the vicinity at the time they did not need to isolate but should monitor their health for 14 days from November 10.
If there was any sign of Covid-19 symptoms people were told to get tested and isolate until they received a result.
The health service appealed for anyone who was a casual contact and did have symptoms and had been tested, to contact them so they could provide more support if required.
A number of other sites, including an apartment block and a High St clothing store, are considered locations of interest prompting mass testing across the city's central business district.
The results of preliminary genomic testing are due today, which will identify whether the student has the same strain of the virus seen in a managed isolation facility.
The woman also took a number of "very short" Uber trips to work and drivers are being contacted and asked to isolate.
The woman's movements have been released.
These include:
- Smith and Caughey's on Queen St on Saturday November 7 (3.50–6pm).
- Red Pig Restaurant, Kitchener St on Saturday November 7 (6-8.30pm)
- Takeaways from Starbucks Queen St and from Sunnytown Restaurant on Sunday November 8 (11.30-11.45am).
- Takeaways from The Gateau House on Queen St on Sunday November 8 (6.40-6.50pm)
- Takeaways from Starbucks Queen St and from Sunnytown Restaurant, Lorne St, on Monday November 9 (11.31-11.40am)
- AUT student hub She was there for 10 minutes, from 2.30pm to 2.40pm.
Anyone in the Auckland area and anyone throughout New Zealand should stay home if they have cold and flu symptoms, she said.
Out of an abundance of caution, Aucklanders who work in the CBD should work from home on Friday, said McElnay, and if you have to go into that area you should wear a mask.
The woman's swab is being processed overnight for genome sequencing and has been received by ESR.
An incident involving a fire alarm - where people in managed isolation mingled with apartment guests where the woman lives - is not likely to be a source of infection for the case as it was at 8pm on Monday night.
- NZ Herald and ODT
