Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield on Mike Hosking Breakfast. Video / Newstalk ZB
More locations of interest have been added to the growing list of restaurants, cafes, cinemas and other businesses now caught up in the latest Covid-19 outbreak.
And as more positive cases are expected to be identified in the community, authorities are urging people to regularly check the Ministry ofHealth's seemingly ongoing list on its website.
That is especially so for anyone deemed to be an essential worker and people in Auckland.
Among the new locations are KFC Takapuna, Hoyts Cinemas Wairau Park, Domino's Pizza Beach Haven, Countdown Takapuna, Movie Monterey Takapuna, Remuera Exchange and the Z Harris Road Service Station.
On Sunday, a case went to Countdown Takapuna between 3.20pm and 3.30pm.
Movie Monterey - about three minutes away by car - is then listed as a location of interest between 3.36pm and 5.45pm.
Shortly after that, KFC Takapuna pops up on the list. A positive case went there between 5.50pm and 6.30pm.
The list includes places that have been visited by a Covid positive person more than once - but is still listed separately due to the different day and time periods a person has visited and therefore affecting different groups of people.
Many of the current locations of interest identified are using social media sites - Facebook, in particular - to alert people who may have visited or eaten at their establishment at the same time.
The SkyCity casino is one of the major locations to appear on the list.
A total of 240 SkyCity staff members have been identified as close contacts and are now in isolation, after a person who tested positive for Covid visited the casino.
And the company estimates "around 1000" patrons were on the main gaming floor complex at the same time as the positive case in the early hours of Saturday morning.
SkyCity chief executive Michael Ahearne confirmed 240 of his staff were working on the main casino gaming floor between 1.15am and 3am - the time authorities say a positive case linked to Auckland's latest cluster was there.
SkyCity Auckland confirmed they were alerted to the positive case at 1.30pm yesterday after being advised by staff at Auckland Regional Public Health.
"The health and wellbeing of SkyCity's employees and customers is paramount and we have robust contact-tracing protocols in place to be able to respond rapidly."
The casino's gaming floor area was yesterday closed off to undergo a deep clean.
"We would advise any SkyCity customers who were on the main gaming floor between 1am and 3am on Saturday morning please self-isolate and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on what to do to help prevent the spread of Covid-19."
LynnMall Shopping Centre - in West Auckland's New Lynn - is another large location of interest listed.
Management said the confirmed Covid case visited the shopping centre almost two weeks ago - on Friday, August 6, between 6pm and 7.30pm.
It is not yet known whether the positive case who visited had been in any of the businesses, eateries or the cinema inside the complex.
