WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly a week after the discovery of New Zealand’s first locally detected coronavirus outbreak in more than three months, its origins remain a mystery.
FILE PHOTO: A bullet statue with a mask covering her face is seen in a township called Bulls, near Palmerston North, on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, amid the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus (COVID) -19), July 12, 2020. REUTERS / Praveen Menon / File Photo
The Pacific nation had taken advantage of its distance early in the pandemic, when Ardern quickly closed the international border and imposed one of the world’s worst lockdowns. Those measures stamped out the local transfer for 102 days.
Genome testing of the latest batch of infections has confirmed it is a new strain, officials have said, likely from Australia or Britain.
With the ticking of the clock to get the latest outbreak under control, that has raised the tricky question of how it entered a country that for months has been largely shut down.
Here are some details on what authorities have called the ‘Auckland August Cluster’.
WHEN AND HOW DOES IT APPEAR?
* The first case authorities have so far identified a 50-year-old man working at a cool store in Auckland, owned by American Americold Realty Trust (COLD.N), who became ill on 31 July. The man took a COVID-19 test in Auckland after experiencing symptoms for a few days.
* The man’s case, along with that of three immediate family members, was made public by Ardern during a New Year’s conference on August 11.
* Officials revealed that family members had traveled to other cities, including Rotorua and Hamilton, and visited a senior care center while they were symptomatic.
* There are now 78 active cases, of which 58 are linked to the Auckland family cluster, with infections reported in workplaces, schools, homes and public areas. The remaining 20 cases are people in compulsory quarantine facilities after arriving in New Zealand from abroad.
HOW DOES COVID-19 RIGHT IN THE COUNTRY?
This is the important question that authorities still have, with the international border closed to foreigners since March and all returning New Zealanders being forced into a compulsory 14-day career.
* Authorities have said contact tracing and genomic testing have not yet found links to the country’s border entry points or managed quarantine facilities. Genome sequencing reproduced the theory of some health experts that the virus could have quietly passed through community since the original outbreak, they added.
* The government has previously suggested that the virus may have entered the country via cargo, with a focus on the Auckland Americold facility where several infections have now been reported. Underground testing is underway at the facility. Australian authorities are conducting thorough tests on workers of a Melbourne Americool facility, and are looking for any connection.
New Zealand Health Chief Ashley Bloomfield has since said human-to-human transmission is the most likely culprit, with surface transmission “unlikely”.
* Opposition parties and government critics have pointed to a breach of one of New Zealand’s quarantine facilities as the likely cause of the virus. Local media have reported several instances of security slips at the facilities. The government has said there is no evidence to support that theory, although tests are ongoing. It has not detailed any alternative path.
WHAT IS NEW ZEALAND ABOUT?
* Ardern has locked up the largest city, Auckland, and brought social distance limits for two more weeks. She also postponed a national election next month.
* Testing has been revamped in the community to include levels
* Aucklanders and others are strongly advised to wear masks in public
* Border testing at airports and ports has increased and quarantine personnel are being tested more frequently
* Contact tracking technology was improved through the government app and companies were instructed to display mandatory QR codes
Report by Praveen Menon; edited by Jane Wardell
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