New Zealand

19 new COVID-19 cases in NZ, 43 at the border

January 6, 2022 2:32 pm

[Source: NZ Herald]

There are 19 new COVID-19 cases in the community today in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health says.

Of those, six are in Auckland, five in Waikato, five in Bay of Plenty, one in Northland and two in Taranaki.

There is an extra case in Taranaki but as it came in after today’s cut-off time, it will be reported alongside tomorrow’s numbers.

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There are 43 new cases at the border, up from 23 yesterday.

The ministry says it is likely the Omicron variant will be prevalent at the border.

Whole-genome sequencing of these new cases is expected soon.

From tomorrow, a pre-departure PCR test will be required within 48 hours of departure for anyone trying to enter New Zealand, down from 72 hours.

However, an exemption has been made for travellers coming from 105 specified countries and jurisdictions where “obtaining a PCR test may be difficult or not possible”. These people can instead provide evidence of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) or loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test result.

Those tests would need to be taken within 24 hours of departure and must be supervised by a health professional, including pharmacists, and verified in writing in the jurisdiction of origin.