Five hundred more Defence Force staff are being deployed to managed isolation facilities and the Government is also directly hiring security guards to help control the centres. It comes as officials report six new cases of Covid-19 today, one of which is in managed isolation.
Two central Auckland Countdown supermarket stores are closed after separate visitors in the last week tested positive for Covid-19.
Customers at an Auckland CBD Countdown were told over a loudspeaker today that they had to finish their shopping following a visit by a person who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Countdown's general manager for health and safety, Kiri Hannifin, said the Auckland City store on Quay Street and the St Lukes Store in the Westfield St Lukes Mall are closed for deep cleaning.
She said two separate people made visits to the Countdown supermarkets in Auckland in the last week, who have now been found to have Covid-19.
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service has advised the supermarket chain that these visits are deemed low risk and casual contact exposures, she said. As always, anyone with symptoms is advised to get tested.
"We continue to have rigorous cleaning and hygiene practices in place in all of our stores and would reiterate to customers the importance of using the NZ Covid-19 tracker app when visiting a Countdown store."
The customer told TVNZ the message on the loud speaker said customers had to finish their shopping and leave as the store would be closing.
Today, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield announced six new cases of Covid-19, one of which is in managed isolation.
The other five cases are in the community, all linked to the South Auckland cluster.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today's results were "encouraging" and there appeared to be no surge in community cases.
It also emerged today a visitor to Hobbiton later tested positive for Covid-19. Deputy chief executive Shayne Forrest told the Herald the person took part in a tour at noon on Friday, August 7.
They had a positive Covid-19 test on arrival back in their home country. Staff and customers on tour with the person had been notified, and look out for any Covid-19 symptoms, he said.
"We have followed all instructions from the Waikato DHB and the ministry advised us that the risk to our visitors and staff is very low.
"We have stringent cleaning measures in place across the site, including cleaning of coaches between departures.
The Countdown on Quay St is undergoing deep cleaning before it will be reopened. Photo / Dean Purcell
"As a precaution, all staff and customers who were on tour with this individual have been notified and asked to monitor their health closely and be vigilant for any symptoms in line with the national guidelines around Covid-19."
Yesterday a case emerged that was unconnected to the South Auckland community cluster, which appears to have started at the Mt Wellington Americold workplace on July 31.
The new case was a maintenance worker at Rydges Hotel who tested positive on Sunday during mandatory testing of all workers at managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities.
