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There are five new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, four cases in the community and one imported case.
The four new community cases are linked to the broader August Auckland cluster and are epidemiologically linked to the Mt Roskill Evangelical Church “mini-cluster”.
The imported case is a man in his 20s who arrived from India on August 23. It is a close contact of an existing confirmed case.
On Sunday, the government also announced mandatory periodic testing of border workers, who could be fined if they refuse.
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Ryan Anderson / Stuff
The test stations remained quiet Sunday, despite the two deaths on Friday.
There are four people with Covid-19 in the hospital, one in intensive care at Waikato Hospital and two in a ward at Auckland’s North Shore Hospital and one in a ward at Middlemore Hospital.
The total number of active cases in New Zealand is now 116, with 77 community cases and 39 imported cases in isolation and managed quarantine (MIQ).
A person from Christchurch who was under investigation since then tested negative for Covid-19, the Health Ministry said.
MANDATORY TESTS
On Sunday, the government announced a new series of changes to further strengthen the borders.
Starting at midnight, there will be a Required Trial Order allowing for the introduction of mandatory, routine and ongoing Covid-19 tests for all border workers.
Phil Walter / Getty-Images
The new required Test Order means that border workers will now have to undergo Covid-19 testing.
Changes to the maritime boundary strengthen the requirements for testing, isolation and quarantine of arriving crew.
Anyone who doesn’t comply or refuses to take the test could be fined.
Workers in managed quarantine facilities, community testing centers, and workers transporting them to quarantine will need to be tested once a week.
Beginning September 7, isolation facility workers, area of operations government officials, area of operations DHB workers, airport personnel, pilots, stevedores, and ship’s crew will be required to undergo biweekly tests.
On Saturday, labs nationwide processed 7,178 tests for Covid-19, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 814,638.
Pasifika Medical Association Group / Supplied
Former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and well-known Auckland physician Joe Williams died on Friday.
Former Cook Islands Prime Minister and well-known Auckland physician Joe Williams died of Covid-19-related causes at Auckland City Hospital on Friday night.
Another man connected to the August Auckland group also died Friday at Middlemore Hospital.
He was 50 years old and is believed to have worked at the Mt Wellington Americold refrigeration store, where the group’s first known case worked.
The two deaths mean that the number of Covid-19 related deaths in New Zealand has risen to 24.
New Zealand’s Covid Tracer app now has over 2 million registered users, who have collectively scanned an average of 1.7 million QR codes per day over the past week.
New Zealand’s 102-day streak of no community transmission cases was snapped on August 11, when a family of four from south Auckland tested positive for Covid-19.
The outbreak led the government to put the Auckland region into a level 3 lockdown for two and a half weeks, while the rest of the country went to alert level 2.
