Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Bay Jazz and Blues fest attendees relieved no Covid found in Paihia wastewater

More than 1200 people who attended the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival will be relieved wastewater testing in Paihia has not turned up any trace of Covid 19.

Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival organisers are warning New Zealanders to be extra cautious in the face of Covid-19.

Shirley May, festival organiser said the event had 'dodged a bullet', after the Northern Advocate informed her on Friday that Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Covid-19 wastewater surveillance testing had not detected the virus.

More than 1200 people attended the 35th annual festival in Paihia, Russell and Haruru Falls from August 13 - to August 15 – about half from Auckland, now the epicentre of New Zealand's burgeoning Delta community outbreak.

The event was almost on the eve of the country's first community Delta Covid-19 case confirmation and an August 17 nationwide level 4 lockdown.

Festival attendees came from around New Zealand. Seventy per cent were from Auckland and Waikato the balance as far as south as Dunedin. Many stayed on either side of the event, some until Tuesday morning.

"I'm so relieved it's been clear," May said.

The negative test news came just 10 minutes after May received a negative Covid-19 test result from post-event testing in Kawakawa.

She said the negative wastewater surveillance results would put many people's minds at rest.

Local moteliers and fellow festival-goers had been among those phoning her to check whether she had heard about the Paihia wastewater testing results.

May said one US act had already approached her with a view to performing at next year's event.

Half a dozen overseas acts originally scheduled for this year's Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival had to cancel due to Covid-19.