Covid 19 coronavirus: Over 80 per cent Mt Albert Grammar School students, staff tested

An Auckland school asked to get all of its 3000 students and staff tested for Covid-19 has had over 80 per cent completed in less than a week.

Everyone at Mt Albert Grammar School was asked to get tested after two students tested positive in separate circumstances.

Associate Principal Jo Williams revealed in a statement today 2776 students and staff had so far been tested - a total of 81 per cent - since the Auckland Regional Public Health Service request on August 27.

There had been no Covid-19 transmission through the staff and students with this surveillance testing to date.

"It has been an interesting time for our school community, to say the least, and last week was a great example of 'community' in the way we responded to the request from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service to get tested," Williams said.

"Thank you to everyone for responding to this request, and being part of providing us all with this very reassuring information."

The first case at the school was a teenager linked to a family who were one of the first identified in the Auckland cluster, which has now become the largest in New Zealand, on August 12.

The pupil turned up to classes on the Monday before a region-wide lockdown, unaware he was infected.

The second student tested positive on Thursday and was believed to have been infectious between August 5 and 11.

Other students or staff were feared to have caught the virus during that time and those who had not been tested since August 17 were asked to do so.

The school reopened on Monday despite results not being back for all students.

A sports team from St Cuthbert's College played a Mt Albert Grammar team on August 6 and all seven players had been tested.

As of Sunday, five had their results back. All were negative.