Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Calls for pre-departure tests before travelling to South Island

There are 80 new circumstances of Covid-19 locally right this moment, 77 in Auckland, two within the Waikato and one in Northland. Video / NZ Herald

From RNZ

A Covid-19 modeller thinks the Authorities ought to make it a requirement for these travelling to the South Island to first present a unfavourable check end result.

The highest of the South Island has had a Labour Weekend scare with an imported Covid-19 case from the North Island procuring at Blenheim on Friday.

The unvaccinated individual flew in from Rotorua, and has hyperlinks to Te Awamutu in Waikato the place there have been round a dozen group circumstances not too long ago.

Earlier than testing constructive the individual went to a few Blenheim supermarkets, a pharmacy, a bakery and a Mitre 10.

However thus far there has not been any onward transmission, with three of the individual’s contacts returning unfavourable outcomes, and the identical for the lots of of group assessments taken over the weekend.

This was a aid to the Marlborough District Mayor John Leggett.

“Cautious optimism. Folks have mentioned we have dodged a bullet – effectively I believe the bullet’s been going now for fairly a while, and we simply must do what we are able to … to maintain it out of the South Island for so long as we are able to,” Leggett mentioned.

He mentioned it confirmed how simply a case can bounce Prepare dinner Strait, and a few mainlanders are questioning why there have been no extra border boundaries to cease it from taking place.

“Folks could be asking that query, and positively various individuals have urged to me we must always have a a lot tighter border management.”

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Covid-19 modeller and physicist Dr Dion O’Neale mentioned a case within the South Island may unfold undetected extra simply than within the North.

“We have seen that their testing charges are barely decrease than the remainder of the nation, and so they’re presumably perhaps a little bit bit much less alert.

Te Pūnaha Matatini investigator Dr Dion O’Neale. Picture / Provided, File

“At alert stage 2 you are able to do most of your day-to-day issues – you possibly can meet up with lots of people, and that places you in an atmosphere the place if somebody was extremely infectious, it may unfold fairly rapidly to lots of people.”

He mentioned not having a tough border out of the Waikato left the potential for circumstances trickling out, and requiring a unfavourable check to get out ought to be thought-about.

“That’s perhaps one thing the Authorities would wish to be desirous about: what necessities would they wish to have on individuals leaving the Waikato area? Or presumably, even because the Waikato outbreak spreads much more by means of the North Island, leaving the North Island into areas which might be at the moment Covid-free or largely Covid-free, just like the South Island?”

Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles mentioned this was the place fast antigen assessments may turn out to be useful, with leads to as little as quarter-hour.

Microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles. Picture / Photographers Inc, File

“As a result of you are able to do them as you are, for instance, crossing a border or getting on to a practice. The opposite aspect of that although is that they aren’t 100 per cent correct. Nothing is a assure, however the extra issues we put in place, the extra probability you minimise the virus shifting to the South Island.”

The Ministry of Well being remains to be urging individuals within the Marlborough, Tasman and Nelson areas to get examined if they’ve any signs in any respect, even when they’re vaccinated.

The one who flew to Blenheim additionally stayed at a personal home in Tokoroa earlier than departing, so individuals there are requested to keep watch over any areas of curiosity they could have visited and in that case to get a check.

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