Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Twelve Rotorua police self-isolating after two cases revealed

Twelve police staff are isolating as close contacts of Rotorua's Covid-19 cases. Photo / NZME

Twelve police staff are self-isolating after coming into contact with two people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Rotorua.

The Ministry of Health revealed today two people in the Lakes District Health Board area had tested positive for the virus after a person sought care at Rotorua Hospital for a non-Covid health matter and then returned a positive test result. An additional case in Rotorua not included in today's tally will be added in tomorrow's case numbers.

In a statement, health officials said the case was not in contact with any other patients as they were placed in a room set aside for possible Covid-19 cases.

A police spokesperson said staff came into contact with the two people yesterday afternoon when responding to a call for service."For privacy reasons, further information regarding this call for service will not be provided."

The spokesperson said the Lakes DHB advised police of the positive tests around 8pm yesterday.

"All staff that came into contact with them have been tested and are currently awaiting results. They are self-isolating as a precaution until results are received.

"Arrangements have been made to redeploy other staff to cover until these officers are able to return to work."

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said in a statement from the council communications team cases in Rotorua were "inevitable".

"We've had cases in regions all around us for a while and we've managed to avoid it until now.

"That's enabled us to focus on getting our vaccination rates up, but we're not there yet, and these confirmed cases in our community emphasise how absolutely crucial it is to get vaccinated."

She encouraged unvaccinated people to get vaccinated and people with symptoms or who had been at locations of interest to get tested. She encouraged people to be vigilant about hygiene, wearing masks, social distancing and keeping track of their movements.

Contact tracing is under way for the Rotorua cases and locations of interest will be added to the Ministry of Health's website when they become available.