NZ Lockdown to be lifted in spite of two new cases.

[kiwibird]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/po...ri-will-be-enough-to-contain-future-outbreaks

ANALYSIS: Aucklanders wake up this morning having lived through New Zealand’s shortest Covid-19 lockdown.

Just three days long and with alert level 3 restrictions allowing comforts like takeaway food and coffee, Auckland’s brief confinement ranks as one of the shortest and least onerous Covid lockdowns anywhere in the world.
..
Around Parliament yesterday there was a belief that the Government’s approach, described by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as an “abundance of caution”, would cause the lockdown to be extended for another few days. This was certainly the case when a further two new cases were announced in a select committee at noon.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/he...for-saying-it-would-prefer-pupils-not-to-mask

An Auckland school is copping criticism for saying it would prefer students not to wear face masks.

The college’s principal said students are free to wear them if it makes them feel safe, but fronting a room full of masked pupils would be difficult for teachers.

Epidemiologist Michael Baker says he disagrees with the advice from St Kentigern College and believes masks indoors should be a part of alert level two.

 

[Sally Furniss]

All students (1500) and staff (150) at Papaptoetoe High were tested

Two Papatoetoe High School students (who are siblings) and a household contact tested positive for the coronavirus. The cases were linked to the three announced on Sunday.

There is an exception to the lock down level changes in Auckland: all Papatoetoe High School students, staff and their families are required to isolate at home until Monday, and not return to school on Monday without a negative test. The school will remain closed for the rest of the week.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/436636/live-covid-19-updates-for-thursday-18-february

 

[Sally Furniss]

From 2 days ago ..Wastewater testing is being carried out by ESR in South Auckland and Taranaki to see whether the Covid-19 virus has spread further in the community...ESR's rolling out daily testing in Auckland and New Plymouth to watch this on a much finer time scale,"

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...kland-taranaki

 

[Sally Furniss]

Covid-19 data modeller Shaun Hendy told Radio NZ ..source of the current outbreak has not been found. He also noted the source of the Auckland August outbreak was also not traced.
Identifying the link to a source would provide reassurance there wasn't a growing cluster that hadn't been detected, Hendy said

Asked why there hadn't been more cases when the strain of virus involved was the supposedly more infectious UK variant, Hendy said one of the answers was that Covid-19 was spread through super-spreading events

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/hea...rns-to-level-1

 

[Sally Furniss]

Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrell ... There was just one mutation difference between the genome sequencing of the original family and the second family https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/he...rt-level-2-rest-of-country-returns-to-level-1