Coronavirus Covid-19: Auckland CBD staff should work from home if they can, new case movements revealed

People working in central Auckland are being asked to do their work from home if possible tomorrow, health chiefs say.

And Auckland Mayor Phil Goff expressed frustration and disappointment at the workplace stance that led to a sick woman, who was awaiting her Covid-19 test results, being told to still come to work, but wear a mask.

That staff member at a High St store is now in quarantine after testing positive.

Authorities revealed this afternoon that the new Covid-19 community case was discussed with customers while working at a store in central Auckland.

Public Health Director Caroline McElnay said there was a detailed interview with the confirmed case.

The woman has a customer-facing role in her work at AZ Collections on Auckland’s High St, McElnay said.

He called work because he was told to isolate himself, but after a conversation with his manager he went to work and put on a mask.

The three close contacts of the woman are colleagues and friends and are being transferred to a border hotel. Everyone is reportedly feeling fine.

The woman also took several “very short” Uber trips to work and drivers are being contacted to ask them to isolate themselves.

Goff told Newstalk ZB that he was disappointed in what had happened, saying it was a big problem and the worst that could have happened.

He said Auckland could beat Covid again, but the Aucklanders had to follow the rules and work collectively.

The mayor also told RNZ that “this is not great news.”

“The worst thing that happened in this case is that the woman was told to isolate herself and then a store manager told her to come to work. That is frankly incredible.

“I just can’t understand that. It defies common sense. There’s a lesson in that, and you think it’s a lesson that people didn’t need to learn.”

The women’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, Saturday, November 7 (6pm to 8.30pm)

• Takeout from Starbucks Queen St and Sunnytown Restaurant on Sunday, November 8 (11.30-11.45 am).

• Takeaway from The Gateau House on Queen St on Sunday, November 8 (6.40-6.50 pm)

• Takeout from Starbucks Queen St and Sunnytown Restaurant, Lorne St, Monday, November 9 (11.31-11.40 AM)

Anyone in the Auckland area and throughout New Zealand should stay home if they have cold or flu symptoms, he said.

As a precaution, Auckland residents who work in the CBD should work from home tomorrow, McElnay said, and if you have to go to that area, you should wear a mask.

The female swab is processed overnight for genome sequencing and has been received by ESR.

An incident involving a fire alarm, where people in controlled isolation mingled with guests of the apartment where the woman lives, is not likely to be a source of infection for the case, as it was at 8 p.m. Monday by the night.

Alert level movement?

Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the situation was different for the last outbreak when Auckland returned to alert level 3, but said that did not mean they would not review alert levels tomorrow.

He said it appeared the case was contained.

Hipkins asked that employers “do everything possible” to make sure their staff could stay home if they were sick. She said it was disappointing that the woman’s manager told her to go to work despite being advised by the health officer to stay home.

McElnay said there was no information at this stage that the woman or her contacts were moving out of the CBD.

Hipkins said he was comfortable because the guidance they were giving today was the best they could give on the information they had.

There was no danger of “increased risk” outside of CBD.

Hipkins, who is also the Minister of Education, said he was aware that it was testing season and that his advice to NZQA is to continue testing normally at this stage, as he knew that testing was generally conducted in a socially distant environment.

Anyone who has a test tomorrow should go until told otherwise, Hipkins said.

Hipkins said it was speculation to link the source to the woman who lived and worked near a managed isolation facility, but that it would be part of the investigation.

“We are asking people to do the right thing here.”

Hipkins said there will likely be more information tomorrow.

McElnay said the test was conducted quite late Tuesday night.

Hipkins said he hoped there would be more QR scanning because it meant they could notify people quickly if they might have been exposed.

“My message to everyone is that you don’t know when this might come up. So keep scanning.

“The QR code keeps everyone safe.”

He said that “we are a very, very mobile people”, so no one could assume that because most of the cases were in Auckland, the rest of the country was not at risk.

The government has not drawn a line on a map that defines the boundaries of the CBD, but is asking employers to be careful.

Those who live in the CBD should minimize their movements and contacts.

Hipkins has had several conversations with the Prime Minister, who is in Wellington. If the Cabinet needs to meet tomorrow, it will do so digitally.

Closing the heart of the city reflected the fact that we are not dealing with widespread community cases, Hipkins said.

And the measures could help stop more draconian measures, he said.

Health chiefs announced at 1 p.m. that there was a new case of Covid-19 in the community with no obvious link to travel, the border, or managed isolation.

The woman, in her 20s, developed symptoms on Monday and was examined on Tuesday. The results were confirmed this morning.

The woman lives alone in an apartment in Vincent St Residences, did not visit the supermarket while she was infected and had limited movement around the city.

The manager of The Gateau House patisserie on Queen St said they had been told by health officials that a woman who recently tested positive for Covid-19 had visited their patisserie on Tuesday.

However, they had not yet been given “too much” information.

He said the woman apparently hadn’t spent much time in his store.

She said her staff who had been working Tuesday would now get tested for Covid-19 and would stay home until they got the results.

Your bakery could stay open in the meantime, but it would undergo a thorough cleaning.

“We will disinfect our area, have staff wear masks, provide hand sanitizer, follow precautions, and do our part,” he said.

The manager of the Red Pig, Yeain Nam, is waiting to find out if the restaurant can stay open.

The restaurant has a Covid-19 tracking QR code available and a login book for those who don’t have the app.

She says she’s not sure if all of the clients used the app.

Last Saturday night, the restaurant had between 60 and 80 customers, Nam says.

On busy Saturday nights, the restaurant can host up to 100 customers.

A member of staff at the Sunny Town Chinese restaurant on Lorne St said he had “just learned” that a woman who tested positive for Covid-19 had visited his restaurant.

“We are surprised,” he said.

He said health authorities had not contacted his restaurant.

Now she was ready to call her manager and plan what response the restaurant would take.

But he said his staff would seek to wear masks and potentially push restaurant tables away immediately.

Earlier this afternoon, Hipkins said there was not enough information to decide whether a change in alert levels was needed.

Officials were working behind the scenes to review the women’s movements to identify contacts and find a link to the border.

Genome sequencing has also been sped up and results are expected tomorrow afternoon, which will help show if the case is related to other confirmed cases.

Hipkins urged Auckland residents and the rest of New Zealand to remain calm and follow instructions, which include:

• If you visited the AZ Collection at 61 High St or live or have visited Vincent St Residences between Saturday, November 7 and today to isolate yourself and get tested.

• Isolate and get tested for cold or flu symptoms.

• Wear a mask on public transportation, airplanes, and in places where you cannot physically distance yourself.

• Maintain good hand hygiene and sneeze etiquette.

• Scan every place you go with the Covid Tracer app.