Residents of an Auckland CBD apartment block where a newly-diagnosed Covid-19 case lives mixed with people in managed isolation after a fire alarm at an isolation hotel earlier this week, residents say.
But the head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, is confident the integrity of the isolation facility was not compromised.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins this afternoon confirmed the new case - an AUT student who lives and works in the city.
The city remains at level 1 as Ministry of Health and government officials seek more information. Downtown Auckland workers have been asked to work from home tomorrow if possible.
The new case lives at the Vincent Residence, next door to the Grand Millennium; a managed isolation hotel.
The Grand Millennium was evacuated on Monday night after a fire alarm, and a resident from the Vincent Residence said there was open mixing from people staying at both locations.
That was after the latest community case first reported symptoms.
Air Commodore Darryn Webb disputed the claims people in managed isolation "freely mixed and mingled" with members of the public.
MIQ staff and hotel security had worked in conjunction with police to ensure all guests evacuated the premises safely and were contained in the identified assembly areas outside the hotel, he said.
"The safety of our staff and returnees is our top priority to ultimately ensure the safety of our community," Webb said.
"Throughout the situation, NZDF staff, wearing high visibility vests, assisted hotel security and MIQ staff in cordoning all guests in the allocated assembly areas. Guests were continuously monitored and contained. Staff ensured returnees were social distancing, face coverings were worn and that bubbles were maintained."
All MIQ facilities operated in an alert level 4 environment, Webb said.
"In evacuation situations where guests need to come outside strict infection prevention controls, developed by the Ministry of Health, are followed to manage the risks of spreading COVID-19. These protocols include use of PPE and masks and physical distancing rules."
The new case, a woman aged between 20 and 29, became symptomatic on the morning of November 9 and was tested on the 10th.
The positive test was confirmed this morning and the woman has been moved to quarantine today.
Health officials are going through the woman's movements to contact trace and try to ascertain the source of the infection.
The woman lives alone, has limited community outings and is a student at AUT but hasn't been to classes since mid-October so there isn't a concern of transmission on campus.
She works at the A-Z Collections store in High St.
People who have visited the store at 61 High St and residents or visitors to Vincent St Residences at 106 Vincent St in Auckland CBD between Saturday and today should isolate and get a test as a precaution.
Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said officials were "urgently working" to work out where the woman was infected and are doing genome testing.
Bloomfield said he didn't want to pass judgment on the woman who got the test but then didn't stay home and didn't have information on whether she was advised to stay home.
There is no review of alert level settings at this stage, said Bloomfield.
Sites of pop-up testing stations will be advised later today.
Hipkins stressed "we are in the early days" of information coming through.
There will be another press conference today, likely about 5pm.
Hipkins said they would give information as it came to hand.
He said the response needed to be calm and methodical and that information would be shared as quickly as it could be.
He repeated the message that "people are not the problem, they are the solution".
He urged anyone in Auckland with cold and flu symptoms to stay home and get a test.
If you are using public transport or flying in and out of Auckland, please wear a mask and observe social distancing, said Hipkins.
Hipkins said there was not enough information at this time to make a decision on alert level changes in Auckland.
The owner of A-Z Collections on High St said they were alerted about the case by the Ministry of Health this morning.
"It was really a shock, I have no idea how it happened."
The man, who did not want to be named, said he and all his staff had been tested this morning and were awaiting results.
He and his staff all wore masks, and none had experienced any symptoms, so he believed the chance of any infection was very low.
They were following all instructions from the Ministry, he said, including closing the store for desanitation.
They were hoping to be able to reopen tomorrow.
Tony Kang, the owner of a clothing and skateboard store Prior next door to the A-Z Collections, says the store has decided to temporarily close for a deep clean.
"All the staff have been tested at Covid testing stations and the store will stay closed until the results have been received or [we've] received further notice from the Government."
Bloomfield said there were three new cases today, including the case with no link to the border.
One is connected to the November quarantine cluster and has been in isolation since Saturday. The latest case is a close contact of a defence force worker who tested positive for Covid-19.
One case was detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility.
They arrived on November 9 from Los Angeles. They returned a positive test around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation and have been moved to the Auckland quarantine facility.
On the case with the unknown source, the woman became symptomatic on the morning of November 9 and was tested on the 10th.
The positive test was confirmed this morning and the woman has been moved to quarantine today.
Health officials are going through the person's movements to contact trace and try to ascertain the source of the infection.
The woman lives alone, has limited community outings and is a student at AUT and hasn't been to classes since mid-October so there isn't a concern of transmission on campus
People who have visited A-Z Collections store at 61 High St and a resident or visitor to Vincent St Residences at 106 Vincent St between Saturday and today should isolate and get a test as a precaution.
The lights were out and a lock placed across the doors of A-Z Collection on Thursday afternoon.
Jumpers, T-shirts saying "I love Paris" and other clothing remained hung on their racks, but there was no sign of staff inside.
There was also no sign posted on the store windows or door to indicate it had been subject to a Covid-19 health scare.
The Ministry of Health has asked anyone who visited the A-Z Collections store during the following times to isolate and call Healthline to arrange a Covid-19 test "as soon as possible".
• Sunday, November 8, 10:30am - 6:30pm
• Monday, November 9, 10:30am - 6:30pm
• Wednesday, November 11, 10:20am - 6:30pm
A clothing and skateboard store next door called Prior had also put up a temporarily closed sign on its door.
Staff inside could all be seen wearing masks. They then turned out the store lights.
High St and the adjacent Lorne St were busy with shoppers passing by the store as Aucklanders enjoyed the sunny afternoon.
A spokesman from The Vincent Residences says health officials have been in touch to say one of their tenants has the virus but they have not been told to lock down.
Connor Chambers had just popped out from the apartments at 106 Vincent St for a coffee only, to return to see media cameras and find out there had reportedly been a positive case in his complex.
He said there were 15 storeys at the complex and potentially 16 apartments on each floor.
There was a shared gym, sauna and swimming pool in the building.
"Fortunately I haven't used that in the past week," he said.
He said it was concerning to hear about the case but he feared more for the elderly residents, saying many were migrants.
Bloomfield said health officials were "urgently working" to work out where the person was infected and doing genome testing.
Bloomfield said he didn't want to pass judgment on the person who got the test but then didn't stay home and didn't have information on whether he was advised to stay home
There is no review of alert level settings at this stage, said Bloomfield.
Sites of pop-up testing stations will be advised later today.
An AUT spokesperson said health authorities have told the university it doesn't need to take any specific actions because the student hasn't attended classes recently.
"We will just be reassuring everyone and making sure they keep up all the usual precautions," she said.
"We will keep working closely with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service as they work through it."
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff backs the Government's advice to wear masks on public transport, take extra care with physical distancing and use the NZ Covid Tracer app,
"While it's concerning to learn of this new community case, the best way to keep ourselves and our communities safe is by keeping up with good health practices," the mayor said.
"Wear a mask on public transport and in other situations where you can't physically distance. Keep track of your movements with the NZ Covid Tracer app. And continue to follow good hygiene rules, particularly around regular hand-washing and cough/sneeze etiquette.
"If you have any symptoms of Covid-19, please contact your GP or Healthline immediately and get a test. Follow official advice on self-isolating.
"While we celebrate our success in previously containing cases of community transmission, this case is a reminder of the need for ongoing vigilance.
"We have successfully beat Covid-19 in Auckland twice now by following these guidelines, so we know they are effective and we know what do. Follow the guidelines and stay safe."
The latest case of the November cluster is a member of the defence force and went to a Little Penang lunch outing in Wellington.
Anyone who visited that restaurant last Friday between 1 and 4pm should be "very aware" of symptoms and get a test if needed, said Bloomfield. All of the person's household contacts are isolating.
Earlier this week, Little Penang on the Terrace posted a video on Facebook of their deep cleansing efforts including "dry fogging".
Little Penang on the Terrace informed customers via Facebook on Sunday of the first positive Covid-19 case having dined at the restaurant.
It reported the restaurant already had scheduled deep cleans on Fridays, but had organised another thorough cleaning of the premises, dinnerware, and utensils as a precaution.
"We take this seriously and assure our customers that the safety of our customers and staff are paramount and is a priority. We are working with MOH to ensure all protocols are followed and complied with.
"We thank you all for the continuous support in this challenging environment. We thank all customers for continuing to use the Contact Tracer Apps."
Tee Phee, who owns Little Penang on the Terrace, told the Herald she has sent all her staff for Covid tests as a precaution, even if they weren't working at the time the infected people dined at the restaurant. Some had already returned negative tests.
She wanted to remind customers it was business as usual for the restaurant now, as they have deep cleaned the premises.
"Each time something like this happens you build resilience further," she said.
"If we hadn't learned anything from the previous experience it would be a wasted effort."
They were focused on taking precautions and making sure staff were safe.
The business has taken a hit, with one large function being cancelled. Phee said the group mainly consisted of elderly people and it was "fair enough" if they did not feel comfortable visiting the restaurant.
But it was comforting to have a customer enter the restaurant today and announce he was visiting "the cleanest restaurant in Wellington".
"It's people like this who really lift you up," she said.
Yesterday there were no new community cases and one new case in managed isolation.
And the West Indies men's cricket team was denied further training privileges after breaking managed isolation rules inside their Christchurch facility.
The Ministry of Health said following an investigation, members of the team were confirmed to have repeatedly broken managed isolation rules.
"Many of these incidents have been captured on CCTV and have also been reported by staff.
"The incidents include groups mingling and sharing food. It's important to note that all incidents occurred within the hotel facility and there is no risk to the public," the ministry said.
The team, here to play New Zealand's Black Caps, is in the managed isolation facility at the Chateau on the Park in Christchurch.
And yesterday police confirmed they were looking into a claim made on a notorious terror website from a person apparently infected with Covid-19 and wanting to spread it.
The post has been shared on 8Chan, infamous for inciting terror, hateful and racist views.
"Long story short I'm pretty sure I have the woohoo flu - I was in the same restaurant as a confirmed case, I have a really sore throat and can't stop coughing ... (sic)," it reads.
"How can I do my best to become a super spreader?"
The poster is identified as "Anonymous" and says they have exams today and Friday but doesn't mention a location in the post.
A number of University of Auckland students have shared it on Facebook in a bid to raise awareness among students - particularly those due to take an exam on the two days mentioned.
A police spokesman confirmed this morning they have been made aware of the claims.
"We are currently assessing this information," he said.
Black Label Barbeque is a finalist in the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge today.