Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Covid cases did not visit hairdresser in Kerikeri, MoH confirms

Northlanders are being urged by Government and local leaders to get tested and vaccinated to help identify the spread of Covid-19 within the region. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Enquiries by the Advocate have led health officials to reveal there is in fact no evidence of a Covid case having visited a hairdresser in Kerikeri.

The confusion has come after Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson announced a hairdresser in Kerikeri as a location of interest during the Government's 1pm press conference on Thursday.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said initial reports a Kerikeri hairdresser was a possible location of interest had been communicated to Ministers involved with the Covid-19 response.

"This report has been investigated by health officials and there is no evidence that this was a location visited by the Northland cases."

"All current locations of interest are listed on the Ministry website and are updated as new information becomes available."

Despite the mix-up, the good news that Northland had no new Covid-19 cases was accurate. All 71 new cases are located in Auckland.

Kerikeri residents received shock news yesterday when an AA driver licensing centre was revealed as a location of interest.

The only Far North towns previously indicated as locations of interest linked to the women's journey were Paihia and Kawakawa.

However, no specific locations of interest connected to the two towns had been made public.

Anyone who was at the AA centre on Fairway Drive between 3.15 and 3.45pm on October 5 should self-isolate at home and monitor for any Covid symptoms.

They can get tested at 1 Sammaree Pl, off Mill Lane in Kerikeri, or at the new drive-through testing centre at Ōhaeawai Rugby Club which is open 9am-5pm daily.

More unwelcome news came from Director of Public Health Caroline McElnay who said the Ministry "probably had as much information as they are going to get" from the two female travellers.

It's still unclear how widespread the virus is in Tai Tokerau after the Auckland women's trip north and their subsequent failure to co-operate with contact tracers.

But the strategy is to get as many people vaccinated and tested in the region as possible, McElnay said.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the best thing Northlanders could do was to get tested if they had Covid-19 symptoms, even if they were mild.

A truck driver who travelled to the Northland has since become infected but a "limited scope of exposure" is expected from this case.

In a Facebook post, the owners of Steve Taylor Tyres in Whangārei said a person who tested positive visited the Kamo store on Saturday.

The store was closed for a deep clean and due to reopen early next week.

Northland, Auckland and Waikato remain in alert level 3 until Cabinet reviews settings on Monday.

• Northland's current locations of interest are BP Connect Wylies (Oct 2, 11.20pm-12.20am); Comfort Hotel Flames, Onerahi (Oct 2, 6-11.59pm; Oct 3, 12am-6.30pm); Pepe's Dairy, Onerahi (Oct 3, 9am-10am); Z Kensington (Oct 4, 3.45-4.45pm); Kingswood Manor Motel, Whangārei (Oct 3, 9-11.59pm; Oct 4, 12am-10.15am); Subway, Rathbone St, Whangārei (Oct 4, 1.30-3pm); DoC Uretiti Campsite, Waipū (Oct 4, 12am-11.59pm); AA Driver and Vehicle Licensing, Kerikeri (Oct 5, 3.15-3.45pm).