Long lines of cars have formed as people wait for COVID-19 tests in Auckland and New Plymouth after the announcement of three new community cases of COVID-19 on Sunday afternoon.
Video / Dean Purcell / Jamie Morton
Long queues have began to form at New Plymouth's main Covid-19 testing centre this morning, following news the latest community cases had visited the region.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the positive cases visited nine locations in the city last weekend including Te Rewarewa Bridge, Sumela Kebab, AmberCourt Hotel, Pukekura Park, Egmont National Park, Cycle Inn, Puke Ariki Library and Museum, Pizza Hut and Back Beach.
Shortly after the city's testing centre opened at Taranaki Base Hospital this morning, a queue of cars could be seen stretching about 700m along Tukapa St.
One person told the Herald he'd already been waiting for around two hours, after telling his boss he'd been at Sumela Kebab around the same time the cases visited.
"I shot straight down here, saw they weren't open yet so parked up - and as soon as they opened, this all happened and all the traffic backed up," he said.
"My legs are starting to get tired but I work with a lot of people - so it's better to be safe than sorry."
Some people waiting who spoke to the Herald said they'd also been in places the cases went to - while others said they'd had symptoms and wanted to get checked.
Several motorists were simply making their morning commute down the busy thoroughfare street when they got caught in traffic.
Taranaki District Health Board has asked people coming to get tested to keep to enter from Lyn St and keep to the left side of the road.
The entrance from Tukapa St has been closed.
Testing in the region was also available at MediCross Urgent Care and GP Clinic in New Plymouth, along with Hawera Hospital, Waitara Health Centre and Opunake Health Centre.
Around the city on Sunday night, supermarket car parks were full as residents stocked up on essentials.
Outside Pak'nSave, one local who asked not to be named said that they decided to come down to the supermarket to ensure they had enough supplies in case of another lockdown.
"Me and my husband thought we better stock up on flour and yeast and things. We got caught out last time," the woman said.
"We probably should really be in level 3. The cases have been all over the city."
The queue could be seen stretching about 700m down New Plymouth's Tukapa St. Photo / NZ Herald
Meanwhile, Puke Ariki Library and Museum remained open on Sunday, with staff urging visitors to follow government advice.
"We are currently open as normal here but we encourage people to sanitise and scan in when they enter," a staff member at the Puke Ariki Museum said, prior to the museum's confirmation as a possible exposure location.
The museum confirmed at the time that they had not yet been contacted by the Ministry of Health and were awaiting the confirmed locations the positive cases visited.
"We'll wait and see what we're told and then act on that."
Also open was Pizza Hut New Plymouth, which chose to remain open despite being visited by a positive case.
The manager at the store said at 6pm last night he had not yet been provided with any information, and could not say if any staff who were working on February 8 were currently working at the store at the time of the Herald's visit.
He did confirm however that the store's owner was contacted by the Ministry of Health.
At the 35-unit Amber Court Motel in New Plymouth, two cleaners have been told to have a Covid test at Taranaki Base Hospital after two of the Covid cases, a mother and a daughter, stayed at the motel for two nights between February 6 and February 8.
The manager, who only wanted to be known as Raewyn, said she was informed about the motel being a location of interest by the Taranaki DHB.
Since the name of the motel had been listed as location of interest for the latest cases, "the phone hasn't stopped from every Tom, Dick and Harry who has stayed here since February 6", she said.
Raewyn said she had been given information about cleaning the motel room where the pair stayed, but said the motel had already been deep cleaning the units after guests left as a matter of practice for some time.
She said two cleaners who had contact with the unit had been advised to get a test and would not be returning to work until February 24.
New Plymouth MP Glen Bennett said that he was concerned about today's developments and was hoping for the best.
"I'm concerned, but also optimistic that our community is doing the right thing," the first-term MP said.
"If they were contagious, I'm confident we will stomp it out as quick as we can. We don't want to be a New Plymouth cluster or a Taranaki cluster."
