Focus Live: There are three more cases of coronavirus in New Zealand. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed the new cases were in Wellington and Dunedin.
A Dunedin High School will probably close for two days if results come back positive for a student who is currently in self-isolation.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed this afternoon there were three new confirmed cases of coronavirus - and the teen related to one of those casesis now being tested too after developing possible symptoms.
The teen is a student at Logan Park High School which is now anxiously awaiting results.
"The school is working with both education staff and public health officials," he said.
"Obviously we are all very interested to see the outcome of that test because the action the school takes next will depend on that outcome."
Bloomfield said a positive test result would probably result in the school closing.
"Our advice to that school is if the test result is positive the school is closed for the next 48 hours while close contacts are traced and put into self isolation and all casual contacts, staff and students are given information about what to do if they become unwell."
He said the school would be carefully cleaned before reopening - this is the approach that has been taken in Australia.
Bloomfield told media this afternoon the number of confirmed cases now stands at 11.
A Wellington man in his 30s and his father aged in his 70s who recently returned from the United States are among the new cases but neither require hospital care.
They arrived in Auckland on American Airlines flight AA83 from Los Angeles on Saturday March 14.
The younger man was unwell on the flight, the father became unwell about a day later.
The pair then flew from Auckland to Wellington on Air New Zealand flight NZ419 in seats 1B and 1C.
The two men had been picked up from Wellington airport, then spent the weekend at home. They called ahead before going to the doctor, which was the correct thing to do, Bloomfield said.
The Dunedin case, which the teen is related to, also recently returned from overseas.
This is a man in his 40s who came from Germany.
He only developed symptoms five days after returning, so there was no risk to others on the plane, Bloomfield said.
Another of the man's relatives is also in self-isolation with possible symptoms.
Bloomfield said more sporadic cases of Covid-19 were expected.
"All our cases to date are associated with international travel ... We would expect more travellers returning to New Zealand to present with symptoms."
Tourist refuses to self-isolate, faces deportation
Bloomfield confirmed that a traveller who arrived in Christchurch yesterday was unwilling to commit to self-isolating and intended to continue with her travels.
He said he could understand why someone had planned a trip for a long time and then arrived at the 11th hour to find they can't travel, but said NZ authorities needed to protect people.
If someone was aware of a person who was not going to self-isolate they were encouraged to tell someone at the airport or contact Healthline or police if they were outside of the airport.
Bloomfield said there had been a big increase in cases from overseas and that meant more would be expected to return with symptoms.
Bloomfield said cost was no barrier to coronavirus testing in this country, but said the right people had to be tested. There were around 500 tests under way today.
Healthline service fielded 7,000 calls in one day
The Healthline phone service had fielded more than 7,000 calls yesterday - seven times the usual level.
He moved to reassure people that staff were doing their best to answer all calls.
There was now an online process available for those for registering for self-isolation.
Another 50 nurses have been brought in, as have additional clinical support staff from other areas to help with all of the Healthline calls.
Asked if he was satisfied with the Government's economic package today providing $500m for health spending, Bloomfield said he was "very pleased" with the amount.
Those full-time workers eligible for the package will receive $585 per week from the Government, paid in a lump sum package of just over $7000 covering a 12-week period.
The Government is also raising benefits by $25 a week, starting April 1, and doubling the Winter Energy Payment.
This is just the first tranche of the Government spending response – the rest will be unveiled during May's "recovery" Budget.
Today's package comes as part of "the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history".
The $12.1 billion spending package accounts for roughly 4 per cent of New Zealand's GDP and is comparatively bigger than the relief packages so far announced by Australia, the UK and the US.
"The Government is pulling out all the stops to protect the health of New Zealanders and the health of our economy," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
The big-ticket items of the package include $5.1 billion for the wage subsidy package, $2.8b for benefit increases and the bolstered Winter Energy Payment and a further $2.8b for tax changes to free up cash flow.
That's a total of $8.7 billion for businesses and jobs.
