Covid 19 coronavirus: Christchurch supermarket closed for deep cleaning after new case visited store

A Christchurch supermarket was closed for a deep cleaning after a person who tested positive for Covid-19 visited the store.

The person, a staff member working at the Christchurch managed isolation facility, visited the Colombo St.

They had developed symptoms of Covid-19 on Saturday and yesterday requested an additional test.

Countdown’s general manager of corporate affairs, safety and sustainability, Kiri Hannifin, confirmed that the person visited the store, but the time of the visit is unknown.

The supermarket was closed tonight and was undergoing a deep cleaning.

Hannifin said the supermarket is expected to reopen normally tomorrow.

Tonight’s case in Christchurch ended 10 days in a row with no community cases of the virus in New Zealand.

The new case is a staff member working at the Christchurch Managed Isolation Facility, understood as the Sudima Hotel, where a group of international sailors have stayed. A total of 31 positive Covid cases are now linked to a group.

They are among 440 fishermen from Russia and Ukraine, 270 of whom will go out on three Independent Fisheries boats next month.

The new case was tested as part of routine testing for Sudima staff at Christchurch airport. They returned a negative test last Thursday, October 29.

On Saturday, however, they developed symptoms and yesterday requested a new test, obtaining a positive result that was received today.

“The person is now isolated at home and reports being careful to isolate himself as soon as he developed symptoms,” says the Ministry of Health.

The first of the international sailors should have completed his administered isolation tomorrow morning, but will extend it for at least 24 hours as an additional precautionary measure.

The ministry said full details of the case, and the actions taken in response, would be provided at a press conference at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Precautionary measures for international sailors include additional tests, up to four for some people, and an already prolonged stay in controlled isolation.

This is the third time that Covid-19 has resurfaced in the community.

New Zealand went 102 days without a case until August, when a group from Auckland forced the city into a two-week Level 3 lockdown.

Then in October, after 22 days without a new case in the community, a marine engineer tested positive after performing work on a ship in Auckland, the Sofrana Surville.

This afternoon, four cases of Covid-19 were reported in controlled isolation. One of them, an international sailor who was staying at the Sudima in Christchurch, was detected in testing on the 15th and was a close contact of a case on the 6th.

The other three people were:
– A person at an Auckland quarantine facility, who arrived on October 19 from Milan via Singapore and tested positive for routine tests around the 12th
– A person who arrived from London via Singapore on October 28 and tested positive for routine tests around day 3, is now in the Auckland quarantine facility.
– A person detected in managed isolation in Auckland, after receiving permission to reunite with a family member recently arrived from abroad. The family member had already been previously registered in the New Zealand positive case totals. Today’s case will be recorded as an import related case.

The Health Ministry is expected to release more details at its regular press conference at 1pm tomorrow.