NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid 19 coronavirus: Ashley Bloomfield, Chris Hipkins - Seven new cases of Covid-19 today

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
15 Aug, 2020 02:44 AM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

There are seven new cases of Covid-19 today. All are in the community and there are no cases in managed isolation. Six cases are linked to the Auckland cluster and one case is being investigated. Video / Chris Tarpey

There are seven new cases of Covid-19 today, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield has revealed.

All are in the community - there are no cases in managed isolation. Six cases are linked to the Auckland cluster and one case is being investigated.

That is in addition to the case being investigated yesterday. Bloomfield was confident both cases were linked to the cluster.

There are 56 active cases in New Zealand, of which 37 are in the community.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Some 1090 close contacts linked to the cluster have been identified - 934 have been contacted so far - and 86 per cent of close contacts have been contacted.

The two Tokoroa cases have been transferred to Auckland and their families are in isolation.

All residents of the Morrinsville rest home have all also returned negative results.

So far, 1.6 million mask have been dispatched across community groups.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There have been 100 requests for people to leave Auckland's borders - 45 have been confirmed, Bloomfield said.

The Government is working with officials from Japan and Belgium, in terms of two now-Covid-19 positive people who had been in New Zealand.

Bloomfield said both people were "low risk".

He thanked everyone who had come forward to be tested.

Discover more

New Zealand

Fancy your chances of winning $50 million? Lotto's Powerball must be won tonight

14 Aug 08:50 PM
World

'Inexcusable': Ruby Princess inquiry blames NSW health officials for debacle

14 Aug 11:02 PM
New Zealand|politics

Health Minister frustrated, disappointed by misleading border testing advice

15 Aug 12:32 AM
New Zealand

Police searching for missing Linwood man

15 Aug 12:59 AM

But he said there had been reports of online abuse, directed towards those who had tested positive for Covid-19.

"To say that's a pity is an understatement."

Health Minister Chris Hipkins said the abuse was "disappointing and dangerous".

He said people need to be able to come forward for testing without worrying about online abuse.

Hipkins warned people not to believe everything they read on social media. This comes as rumours circulate online about where the Auckland cluster originated.

He said the 1pm information was designed to give people the most complete picture as possible.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Talking about misinformation and speculation rife on social media, he said there would be much more public concern if test results were published in real time.

"My advice to everyone is, if you hear it here at 1pm, it's true."

Source / Ministry of Health
Source / Ministry of Health

Asked about compliance in Auckland, Hipkins pleaded with people to obey the rules.

"We all want to be out of level 3 as quick as we can."

He called on people to maintain social distancing and continue good hygiene practices.

Hipkins said there had been no positive tests at the border in the past few days.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said by Monday, all frontline staff would have been tested.

Some far, 583 staff in isolation, 980 airport staff and 270 maritime staff have been tested.

There were 23,000 tests yesterday - that's 49,700 tests since Tuesday.

Testing

Bloomfield said he was "not fed up" of receiving misleading information from officials.

He talked up New Zealand's testing abilities.

He said he would have liked testing to be rolled out faster than it has, when it came to the Jet Park Hotel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hipkins said the "testing is a back stop" and prevention work was the main focus.

Hipkins said he "absolutely accepts responsibility" for the lack of testing at the border facilities, but he stopped short of apologising.

He thanked everyone involved in the testing process.

He said some tests might take up to 48 hours to be tested because of the volume of testing. He asked people to be patient as they await their test results.

On the testing of Jet Park employees, Hipkins said the focus was on responding to the outbreak.

"That is what we want everyone focused on."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We make every effort to verify that information," he said, of testing of frontline staff.

He said he was not aware of reports that a fire alarm had gone off at the Jet Park hotel. But he said he would look into it.

Bloomfield said there were protocols in place to ensure people don't mix.

He said there had been testing at the Americold cold store today.

In this outbreak, most people with Covid-19 are of Pacific and Māori descent. Hipkins said "everybody will be treated the same".

Bloomfield said local iwi had been working with the Tokoroa cases.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The vast majority of transmission happened in households, Bloomfield said.

He added the Government was doing all it could to support families.

In terms of the one "likely" linked case today, Bloomfield said the information arrived quite late today so officials could not yet definitively say it was linked to the Auckland cluster.

But Bloomfield was pretty sure it was linked.

On face mask price gouging, Hipkins called on people to report that behaviour.

Auckland University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater this morning confirmed a student at the University of Auckland had tested positive for Covid-19.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asked about the case this morning, Hipkins said there would be people in the community who know about cases before the 1pm briefing.

But he said the press conferences were "the authoritative message" on new Covid-19 cases.

There were 12 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the community yesterday and one probable.

Last night, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Auckland would remain in level 3 lockdown for an additional 12 days.

The plan is still to eliminate the virus and Ardern says she is confident the new measures will help with that goal.

She revealed the new outbreak was a strain of Covid-19 not seen in New Zealand before.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Officials are still searching for the origins of the case.

Hipkins said this morning there was no "clear link" the new outbreak was linked to managed isolation or quarantine facilities.

But what is now known is the new strain is "most likely to have originated in Australia or the UK".

"But at this point, we still don't know how this cluster came into contact with Covid-19 in the first place."

He said police had secured the Americold cool store in Auckland's Mt Wellington so there was no contamination when it came to testing.

Officials are investigating whether the virus came arrived on cargo through New Zealand's ports.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Heavy rain warnings extended as front sits over central North Island

03 Jul 09:22 AM
New Zealand

Fatal crash charge: 20-year-old to face court over Southland tragedy

03 Jul 08:09 AM
New Zealand

'Needs to be killed': Gang president allegedly ordered fatal attack on fellow member

03 Jul 08:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Heavy rain warnings extended as front sits over central North Island

Heavy rain warnings extended as front sits over central North Island

03 Jul 09:22 AM

Rain started falling at the top of the country before dawn.

Fatal crash charge: 20-year-old to face court over Southland tragedy

Fatal crash charge: 20-year-old to face court over Southland tragedy

03 Jul 08:09 AM
'Needs to be killed': Gang president allegedly ordered fatal attack on fellow member

'Needs to be killed': Gang president allegedly ordered fatal attack on fellow member

03 Jul 08:00 AM
How student loan penalties are keeping Kiwis from returning home

How student loan penalties are keeping Kiwis from returning home

03 Jul 07:49 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP