By the Re: team
Sunday 27 June, 1:00pm
Level 2 for Wellington has been extended by 48 hours, and will now end at 11.59pm Tuesday.
The rest of the country will stay at Level 1.
There are no cases of Covid-19 today.
The quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia has been paused till 11.59pm Tuesday.
Friday 25 June, 1:00pm
There are no new cases of Covid-19 today.
Wastewater testing from Tuesday 22 June shows Covid-19 has not been detected in any of the sites around Wellington, Hutt Valley or Porirua.
Over 10,000 tests were processed yesterday, with over 3000 of those in Wellington.
The Ministry of Health says if you know someone who was at a location of interest but you yourself were not, you don't need to test and isolate, but you do need to monitor yourself for symptoms.
If you weren't at the locations in the relevant time windows, you don't need to be concerned, but do need to monitor for symptoms.
Thursday 24 June, 1:00pm
There are no positive Covid cases in the community, three days after the Sydney case left Wellington.
7000 tests were processed yesterday, with around 2000 of those in the Wellington region, which is around five times the number processed the day before.
Yesterday was the fourth biggest day in the history of the Healthline service, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.
Additional testing centres have been set up across the Wellington region, bringing the number of testing centres in the region to 51. You can see a list of locations here on the Healthpoint website.
The current wait time across the testing system is around 10-15 minutes, but it’s strongly recommended to call Healthline or your GP to get a booking for a test.
The partner of the Sydney case has returned a negative result, Minister Hipkins says.
People who were at locations of interest at the stated times must follow the advice on the Ministry of Health website.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says it is a legal requirement to follow the advice.
“It is not optional, it is actually a legal requirement and is enforceable.”
The locations of interest can be found here on the Ministry of Health website. Currently they are:
|
Location name |
Address |
Day |
Time |
What to do |
|
Wellington Airport - Customs |
Wellington International Airport |
18 June to 19 June |
11.35pm 18 June to 12.48am 19 June |
Self-monitor for COVID symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get tested and stay at home until negative test result is received. |
|
Qantas Flight QF163 Sydney to Wellington |
Arrived Wellington International Airport |
19 June |
Arrival 12.05am |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Rydges Hotel |
75 Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington 6011 |
19 June to 21 June |
12am 19 June to 9:10am 21 June |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Prince Barbers |
75C Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington |
19 June |
8.45am to 1pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Unichem Wellington Central Pharmacy |
204 Lambton Quay, Wellington |
19 June |
10.38am to 11:48am |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Te Papa Tongarewa - general |
55 Cable Street, Wellington |
19 June |
3:05pm to 5:45pm |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Te Papa Tongarewa - Exhibition Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen |
55 Cable Street, Wellington |
19 June |
4pm to 5:45pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
4 Kings Bar at Jack Hacketts |
5 Inglewood Place, Cnr Taranaki St, Wellington |
19 June |
8.45pm |
UPDATED: some people may have called Healthline and were told that they were not contacts – please isolate and call Healthline again. Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Jack Hackett's Bar |
5 Inglewood Place, Cnr Taranaki St, Wellington |
19 June |
8:45pm to 12 am |
UPDATED: Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Floriditas Restaurant |
161 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington |
19 June |
12.45pm to 4pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Highwater Eatery |
54 Cuba Street, Wellington |
19 June |
5.45pm to 9.30pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Pickle & Pie café |
2 Lombard Street, Wellington |
20 June |
9.45am to 11.37am |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
The Weta Cave shop |
1 Weka Street, Miramar, Wellington |
20 June |
11.10am to 12.30pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
The Lido café |
81 Victoria Street, Te Aro, Wellington |
20 June |
1pm to 2.45pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Unity Books |
57 Willis Street, Wellington Central, Wellington |
20 June |
1.50pm to 3.05pm |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Countdown Cable Lane |
280/284 Lambton Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington |
20 June |
6pm to 7.15pm |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days.If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
One Red Dog |
56 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington |
20 June |
7pm to 9pm |
Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Wellington Airport - all people in the airport at this time |
Wellington Airport, 1 Stewart Duff Drive, Rongotai, Wellington |
21 June |
8.30am to 10.30am |
Self monitor for COVID symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get tested and stay at home until negative test result is received. |
|
Wellington Airport Foodcourt - all people seated in the food court area during this time |
Wellington Airport, 1 Stewart Duff Drive, Rongotai, Wellington |
21 June |
8.30am to 9.55am |
Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
If you are a contact of someone who has been at a location of interest, you do not need to isolate and be tested, unless specifically instructed.
Dr Bloomfield says Jack Hacketts and Four Kings Bar share the same QR code, and both are regarded as locations of interest. Healthline may have told some people if they were in Four Kings they do not need to isolate and be tested, but the updated advice is that people at both of those bars are considered to have been in locations of interest.
A reminder of what Alert Level 2 means:
Wednesday 23 June, 1pm
Wellington will move to Alert Level 2 from 6pm tonight, until 11.59pm on Sunday.
This includes the Wairarapa and Kāpiti coast up to north of Ōtaki.
The rest of New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 1.
It comes after a traveller from Sydney who visited Wellington over the weekend has tested positive for Covid.
Alert Level 2 means:
- Gatherings including weddings, birthdays and tangi are limited to 100 people
- Social distancing of at least 2m in public places like supermarkets and retail stores, and at least 1m in places like gyms and offices
- Masks are mandatory on public transport. The Ministry of Health is also encouraging people to wear a mask while waiting for public transport and while in taxis or rideshares. They are also recommending that face coverings are worn anywhere where you are around people you don't know
- Business can stay open but can’t have more than 100 people inside and must follow social distancing
- Hospitality venues can stay open, but with a cap of 100 people and with the ‘three S rules’ of: must be seated, separated, and with a single server.
- If you have cold of flu symptoms, please call a doctor or healthline and ask about getting tested for Covid-19
- Keep track of where you've been at all times
The Ministry of Health is asking those who were in Wellington over the weekend and are now in another part of the country to not attend large gatherings.
The person who traveled from Sydney was likely to have been infected before they travelled to New Zealand, and are likely linked to the current Sydney cluster, says Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
They work in a healthcare setting near Bondi Junction, which is the focus of the current outbreak in Sydney. One of the current Australian cases had visited that healthcare setting, so there is a very strong epidemiological link.
The person has had the first dose of a Covid vaccine 10 weeks ago.
They used the NZ Covid Tracer app frequently during their visit, and the Ministry of Health has begun sending out notifications.
“It's a good reminder about the value of the app, and I can’t encourage people enough, wherever you are in New Zealand, to use the app,” Dr Bloomfield says.
The locations of interest where the person visited have been updated, and can be found here on the Ministry of Health website. The Ministry is encouraging all Wellingtonians to check the list.
The travellers had four close contacts in Wellington, two who live in Palmerston North, and two in Tauranga.
All four have been tested and will remain in isolation for 14 days. The two in Palmerston North have received negative results and the two in Tauranga are waiting on the results.
58 passengers who were on the same early morning flight from Sydney on Saturday morning are all considered close contacts, and required to do 14 days self isolation.
The quarantine-free travel bubble with the Australian state of New South Wales has been paused for 72 hours from 11.59pm last night.
When the positive case left Sydney there were only four cases, all with clear epidemiological links. There are now 16 positive cases in Sydney.
To date 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have now been delivered in New Zealand.
The current locations of interest are:
| Location name | Address | Day | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas Flight QF163 Sydney to Wellington | Arrived Wellington International Airport | 19 June | Arrival 12.05am | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Rydges Hotel | 75 Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington 6011 | 19 June to 21 June | 12am 19 June to 9:10am 21 June | Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Prince Barbers | 75C Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington | 19 June | 8.45am to 1pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Unichem Wellington Central Pharmacy | 204 Lambton Quay, Wellington | 19 June | 10.38am to 11:48am | Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Te Papa Tongarewa - general | 55 Cable Street, Wellington | 19 June | 3:05pm to 5:45pm | Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until a negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Te Papa Tongarewa - Exhibition Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | 55 Cable Street, Wellington | 19 June | 4pm to 5:45pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| 4 Kings Bar at Jack Hacketts - Toilets only | 5 Inglewood Place, Cnr Taranaki St, Wellington | 19 June | 8.45pm | NOTE: If you used the toilets at 4 Kings Bar: Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Jack Hackett's Bar | 5 Inglewood Place, Cnr Taranaki St, Wellington | 19 June | 8:45pm to 12 am | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Floridita's Restaurant | 161 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington | 19 June | 12.45pm to 4pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Highwater Eatery | 54 Cuba Street, Wellington | 19 June | 5.45pm to 9.30pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Pickle & Pie café | 2 Lombard Street, Wellington | 20 June | 9.45am to 11.37am | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| The Weta Cave shop | 1 Weka Street, Miramar, Wellington | 20 June | 11.10am to 12.30pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| The Lido café | 81 Victoria Street, Te Aro, Wellington | 20 June | 1pm to 2.45pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Unity Books | 57 Willis Street, Wellington Central, Wellington | 20 June | 1.50pm to 3.05pm | Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| Countdown Cable Lane | 280/284 Lambton Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington | 20 June | 6pm to 7.15pm | Stay at home, get a test around Day 5 after last exposure and stay at home until negative test result is received. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days.If symptoms develop, get a test immediately and stay at home until negative test result is received. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
| One Red Dog | 56 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington | 20 June | 7pm to 9pm | Isolate/quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure and day 12 after last exposure. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
Wednesday 23 June, 11:30am
Six locations of interest in Wellington have been identified in relation to a Covid-positive traveller from Sydney who visited over the weekend. Health authorities are asking people to check where they’ve been.
The man, a visitor from Sydney, arrived in Wellington just after midnight on Saturday June 19. He and his partner stayed for two days, and left about 10am Monday June 21. He tested positive after arriving back in Sydney.
So far, four close contacts in Wellington have been identified. Health authorities are due to release more information at the 1pm news conference today, including options for restrictions.
Wellington locations of interest and what to do:
|
Location |
Address |
Day |
Time |
What to do |
|
Qantas flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington |
Arrived Wellington International Airport |
19 June |
Arrived 12.05am |
If you were on this flight, you’re considered a close contact. Get a test as soon as possible and isolate/quarantine for 14 days from the flight. You’ll also need to get a test five days after the flight. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Rydges Hotel |
75 Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington |
19 June to 21 June |
Checked in, 12am June 19. Checked out 10am June 21 |
People who were staying at the Rydges at the weekend are being treated as casual plus contacts. Watch for Covid symptoms for 14 days. If you develop symptoms, get a test immediately. Stay home until a negative result. Otherwise, get a test five days after you were last at the hotel. |
|
Unichem Wellington Central Pharmacy |
204 Lambton Quay, Wellington |
19 June |
10.38am to 11:48am |
People who were in the pharmacy in the relevant time frame are considered casual plus contacts. Watch for Covid symptoms for 14 days. If you develop symptoms, get a test immediately. Stay home until a negative result. Otherwise, get a test five days after you were last at the hotel. Stay home until a negative result. |
|
Te Papa Tongarewa - general |
55 Cable Street, Wellington |
19 June |
3:05pm to 5:45pm |
People who were at Te Papa during the relevant time frame are considered “casual plus” contacts. Watch for Covid symptoms for 14 days. If you develop symptoms, get a test immediately. Stay home until a negative result. Otherwise, get a test on the fifth day after the museum visit. Stay home until a negative result. |
|
Te Papa Tongarewa - Exhibition Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen |
55 Cable Street, Wellington |
19 June |
4pm to 5:45pm |
People who were at Surrealist Art exhibition during the relevant time frame are considered close contacts. Get a test as soon as possible and isolate/quarantine for 14 days from June 19. You’ll also need to get a test five days after being at the exhibition. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
|
Jack Hackett's Bar |
5 Inglewood Place, Wellington |
19 June |
8:45pm to 12 am |
People who were at the bar during the relevant time frame are considered close contacts. Get a test as soon as possible and isolate/quarantine for 14 days from the bar visit. You’ll also need to get a test five days after being at the bar. Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. |
Quarantine-free travel with New South Wales has also been paused for 72 hours. The state is currently trying to control an outbreak of Covid cases.
New Zealand public health officials said it was most likely the Sydney traveller contracted Covid in Sydney before their weekend visit to Wellington, based on the timing of their symptoms. They are continuing to work with their counterparts in Australia around contact tracing. Several locations of interest, including Te Papa and Jack Hackett’s Bar, have also closed as a result.
Go to the Ministry of Health's locations of interest page for full details and more information.
Re: will also have an afternoon update with any new information.