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Bar patrons have been asked to isolate themselves and get tested while authorities investigate a Covid-19 case off Auckland’s north shore.
Were you at The Malt on Friday? Contact Stuff [email protected]
The owner of The Malt pub in Greenhithe said Stuff he and his staff had learned of the coronavirus case Wednesday night.
And a public health expert says Wednesday’s 25 cases show New Zealand may need to change its border policies to reduce the risk and huge cost of new outbreaks.
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Users of Greenhithe’s The Malt were asked to isolate themselves and get tested after a person with Covid-19 visited them on October 16.
“The fact that he’s back in the community is not good,” Malt owner Malcolm McVicar said Wednesday night.
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A person now confirmed to be infectious with coronavirus was at The Malt from 7.30pm to 10pm on Friday, the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said.
The employer is one of two colleagues of an Auckland harbor worker with Covid-19.
The Health Ministry announced another 23 new cases earlier on Wednesday.
18 of these cases are international fishermen in managed isolation in Christchurch.
Some close contacts had been identified at the Greenhithe pub and ARPHS was communicating with them.
Staff will also be asked to take the test.
Intense global pandemic
Epidemiologist professor Michael Baker said the new cases of community transmission and others announced Wednesday showed it was time to seriously consider improving border protection.
That would involve examining the countries of origin for new Covid-19 cases and restricting entry or tightening entry criteria for some countries.
“That would be a targeted approach,” said the University of Otago public health expert. “It may be worth dedicating more resources to managing risk at the point of entry.”
As of Wednesday, at least 11 countries, including Ukraine and Russia, had more than 100,000 active coronavirus cases.
Luke Pilkinton-Chingâ ???? / University of Otago, Wellington
University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker says pubs are high-risk places for the spread of Covid-19 and diligent testing and contact tracing will be needed to determine the scale of the outbreak.
But some of these countries are sources of workers in high demand in New Zealand.
Stuff last week it was reported that 440 fishermen from Russia and Ukraine were due to arrive on two flights chartered by fishing companies.
“It’s just a reminder of the complexity of some of the arrangements that we have,” Baker said.
The United States, India, Brazil, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, and parts of Europe also currently have high numbers of active Covid-19 cases reported.
“There is that ongoing risk of border errors and incursions occurring,” Baker said.
He said the specific criteria, where entry from areas with massive outbreaks could be restricted, would not replace New Zealand’s current border controls, but rather improve them.
Urgent contact tracking
Baker said rapid contact tracing and rigorous testing will be crucial in stopping a new outbreak after the Greenhithe incident.
“This is very different from the August Auckland cluster, where we had an outbreak in the community and we didn’t know where it was coming from or to what extent.
JASON DORDAY / Things
The latest cases of community transmission are distinct from the August Auckland group linked to Mount Roskill Evangelical Fellowship, Baker said.
“The current one is unusual because it is the first time that we have an obvious link with a seaport.”
Baker said the fact that a person with Covid-19 visited an indoor location was concerning, especially if the pub was crowded.
“Obviously we hope it wasn’t a super spreader instance in the pub … The good news is that the contact tracing system has proven its worth in New Zealand.”
Baker said anyone with symptoms of coronavirus should isolate themselves and get tested.
Symptoms include new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense or smell, or fever.
“At this stage, it’s about finding the extent of the outbreak,” Baker added.
ARPHS said that anyone who attended The Malt on Friday and became ill, even after a negative test result, should re-isolate themselves and be tested again.
Members of the household of pub patrons from Friday should be tested and stay home if the person who was in the pub becomes ill or exhibits any symptoms.
The health service said that people who scanned The Malt using the NZ COVID Tracer app on Friday night should receive a notification.
ARPHS said Greenhithe pub patrons and staff should be on the lookout for symptoms such as a new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense or smell or fever.
A pop-up community center will be in Greenhithe on Thursday at a location to be confirmed on the ARPHS website.
Meanwhile, ARPHS said urgent care clinics would be open Wednesday night and offer testing.
Urgent care clinics
Shorecare Urgent Care, Smales Farm: 74 Taharoto Road, Takapuna, open 24 hours.
Shorecare Northcross: 948 East Coast Road, Northcross. Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
East Care: 260 Botany Road, Golflands, open 24 hours.
Takanini Urgent Care: 106 Great South Road, Takanini. Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Counties Urgent Care, Papakura: 6-18 O’Shannessey Street, Papakura Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. M. At 10 p. M.
Franklin Urgent Care: 149 Manukau Road, Pukekohe Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. M. At 8 p. M.
