WELLINGTON, Sept 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand confirmed six new cases of COVID-19 today, which were all community cases, including children.
All six cases have epidemiological links to existing cases and link back to the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship group in Auckland, the country’s largest city, according to the Ministry of Health.
“Many people involved in the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship have been tested over the last 10 days. As we are still seeing cases emerge in this group, we are asking all members of the congregation to be retested,” Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, said.
“We also ask anyone who may have contact with members of the Fellowship to be tested, even if they have previously tested negative. People should be tested even if they have no symptoms,” Bloomfield said.
Four of these new cases are linked to a sub-group, associated with a series of bereavement activities, including visits to the household of the bereaved and a funeral, he said.
All close contacts are now isolating and being tested. There are 108 people associated with this group that are self-isolating, Bloomfield said.
“This is an important part of our management of the Auckland outbreak and ensure that it is contained,” he said, referring to the country’s second wave of the pandemic, starting last month and having been contained locally in Auckland.
With today’s six new cases and four additional recovered cases, the country’s total number of active cases is 125. Of these, 43 are imported cases in managed isolation facilities, and 82 are community cases.
New Zealand’s number of confirmed cases is now 1,437.– NNN-AGENCIES
