Kiwis on alert as virus finally makes the jump to South Island
Christchurch has recorded two community cases of COVID-19, breaking a long run without the virus in the largest city of New Zealand’s South Island.
NZās health ministry discovered the cases on Wednesday night, a development Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel labelled āthe wake-up call weāve all been dreadingā.
The cases are both from the same household, and the link to NZās Delta outbreak is believed to be recent travel from one of the cases from Auckland.
COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins told TVNZ both cases were unvaccinated, and the government was yet to rule out a snap lockdown.
āTheyād been back in Christchurch for several days, potentially up to a week,ā Hipkins told Radio NZ.
āThis is someone who did have a negative test prior to travel ā¦ my understanding is that theyād been unwell for a while.
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āGiven there are a number of days when the person was infectious, Itās quite possible there will be more (close contacts to test).ā
Hipkins said the pair did not use QR codes to sign in on their whereabouts, but were co-operating with contact tracers who continue interviews on Thursday morning.
Dalziel said it was āextremely disappointingā the pair werenāt signing in, as is mandatory in NZ.
āThis has been the wake up call weāve all been dreading and a reminder of the importance of being absolutely vigilant,ā she told Radio NZ.
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According to the Canterbury district health board, 89 per cent of eligible locals are partially vaccinated and 68 per cent are double-dosed.
Dalziel said she wanted Christchurch to avoid lockdown.
āIām hoping they havenāt been out and about. Iām hoping that this isnāt as widespread as (the Auckland outbreak) became,ā she said.
The government is expected to reveal more, including a possible snap lockdown, at 1pm.
A single case was picked up on South Island earlier this week, but the case found in Blenheim has not yet resulted in further spread.
Christchurch has enjoyed a run of almost a year without COVID-19.
The last confirmed community case in the Garden City was in November, and the last confirmed community transmission was in May last year.
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