Two New Positive Community Cases –household Members Of Today’s Case

The Ministry of Health was this afternoon notified that two siblings of today’s positive case from Papatoetoe High School have also tested positive for COVID-19.

The siblings are a teenager and an infant. The parents and a third older sibling have returned negative tests. The family has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

Today’s initial case, a Papatoetoe High School student known as Case I, has not been at school. They are a casual plus contact of the initial case at Papatoetoe High School and had been advised to self-isolate and get tested.

The teenage sibling, known as Case J, recently finished school and has been working at Kmart Botany. Case J was at work on Friday 19 February and Saturday 20 February between 4pm and 10pm. Kmart Botany is regarded as a location of interest.

Therefore anyone who was at Kmart Botany, 500 Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Downs, at these times is considered a casual plus contact. If you are a casual plus contact, you are advised to immediately isolate at home and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on isolation timeframes and testing requirements.

Thirty-one staff at Kmart have already been identified as close contacts and are isolating and being provided with public health advice.

Other locations of interest for the three cases are continuing to be investigated and will be notified when available.

The infant, known as Case K, does not have childcare outside the home.

A testing centre was set up at the school early afternoon and 672 tests were done today. Testing will be available again at the school tomorrow. The school community has been requested to return to complete testing if they did not receive it today.

The Ministry is advising everyone in a Papatoetoe High School household must stay away from work or any other school, educational facility or community setting (e.g. the supermarket or any other place outside the home). The school remains closed and no students or staff will be able to return until advised by a Medical Officer of Health.

At this point, household members who are not students or staff do not need to be retested, unless they have symptoms or are asked to do so.

We will be providing updates on contact tracing tomorrow. Whole genome sequencing of Case I will be available tomorrow.
 

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