Podcasts about health ashley bloomfield

The National Party says the Government's move to make masks and rapid antigen tests free is sensible, but is questioning why it's taken so long. Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall and Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield made the announcement yesterday afternoon. They both declined interviews because they're on leave, and Te Whatu Ora's interim chief executive Margie Apa also declined to be interviewed. National Party Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop, who is on parental leave at the moment, did agree to an interview. He spoke to Corin Dann.

In a surprising move this week, New Zealand’s Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has resigned from his post, nearly 18 months before his term ended. The dust had barely settled when the Herald revealed that two other top public health officials following him out the door. Today, NZ Herald senior writer Derek Cheng, who broke the news of the public health departues, joins Damien to discuss the shock shake-up at the Ministry of Health, and what light history will cast on Bloomfield’s tenure. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host / Producer: Damien VenutoProducer / Editor: Shaun D. Wilson Executive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Civilians in East Ukraine are told to get out while they can, as Russia prepares for a new offensive, The health sector responds to the resignation of the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. And Inland Revenue says the new tax bracket will lead to more high earners hiding their true income

The shock resignation of the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield got a fair bit more attention than the resignation of two other senior public health leaders who've also quit - the Director of Public Health Caroline McElnay and Deputy Director Niki Stefano-Giannis Dr Bloomfield talked about the stresses and pressures of the job… burnout is rife in health - so are we doing enough to take good care of those taking care of us? To answer that question, Health Minister Andrew Little.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says it is inevitable new Covid-19 variants - such as the newly-discovered XE strain - will arrive in the country. Early studies of the new variant, which has spread in the UK, shows it to be more transmissable than Omicron. It's level of severity is still to be assessed. Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report earlier wider genomic sequencing will be introduced as the country moves down its security settings.  

Some people may soon be asked to roll up their sleeve for a fourth Covid vaccine. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says he's taking expert advice and any decision would be up to the government. There have been 15 deaths reported today and just under 21,000 new community cases. 1016 people are in hospital, with 25 in ICU. Andrew McRae reports.

Senior doctors say Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is wrong if he believes hospitals are coping and there is no crisis in the sector. Dr Bloomfield has downplayed concern about rising hospitalisations because of Covid-19, saying these tend to peak after case numbers peak, and Auckland-wide cases are coming down. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton says hospitals are seriously stretched. She spoke to Corin Dann.

Hospitals are under increasing pressure from the Omicron outbreak. Another 24 Covid deaths were confirmed yesterday, including 16 previously unreported deaths from the past three weeks. The high number of deaths is due to reporting changes at the Ministry of Health.  There are now 971 people in hospital with the virus, mostly in the Auckland region. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Mike Hosking the health system is under incredible pressure. “Go and chat with some of the folks who are working in the hospitals and you'll get an idea of what it looks like when a health system is under stress.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health officials say they're not trying to scare people with the Omicron response. It follows claims from Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran that people aren't flying because they're too scared. He says schedules have been adjusted, with about a third of customers saying they don't want to travel at the moment. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Mike Hosking he doesn't believe people are fearful - but they're rightly cautious. “Omicron can be an unpleasant disease and people will still die from it, so it's not without some impact.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses importing and distributing rapid antigen tests in New Zealand say the government's bulk order is crushing private supplies. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says government has not commandeered the tests, suppliers have been asked to prioritise the government's order. InScience director Ann-Louise Anderson spoke to Corin Dann.

A furore is continuing over supply of rapid antigen tests for Covid-19. Some businesses are fuming - accusing the government of commandeering orders they had placed with suppliers. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said he simply spoke to a global manufacturer and agreed they should prioritise the government's order. Business New Zealand director Kirk Hope.

Counties-Manukau DHB initially declined to accept a Covid-positive patient from Fiji, and the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield questioned why Australia was not asked to take the woman. Documents released to Checkpoint under the Official Information Act shed more light on the mad scramble between health officials and DHBs in July to make special arrangements for the United Nations employee to travel from Suva to Auckland for critical treatment. The woman was released from Middlemore last month after 76 days in hospital. The trove of emails and texts give further clues about the role played by former Prime Minister and ex-UNDP boss, Helen Clark. Our reporter Nick Truebridge is outside Middlemore Hospital with the details.  

The woman who went into hiding after travelling around Northland with an individual who tested positive for covid-19 was symptomatic when found by police. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report the person was tested on Monday night and the results are expected back on Tuesday. The woman has been held under section 70 of the Health Act and was taken to a quarantine facility. "The section 70 notice does allow the person to effectively be held in a place to keep them and others safe, and also to be tested and any other sort of medical investigations that might be required," Dr Bloomfield said. Neither of the women have been cooperative with authorities during investigation into the case. Dr Bloomfield said the law cannot force woman to speak. He said the Ministry of Health and contact tracers need to know more detail about where the two women were. Some progress was being made through other methods though. "Police have got a reasonably good understanding based on transactions and phone records of where the people were broadly, and the times they were there. "Of course, what we really want to know is more detail about the places and the times they were in those places." Dr Bloomfield said they are currently trying to work out if anyone was infectious while travelling outside Auckland. "The really big question is were they infectious out in the community in Northland, and that's why we need to know where they are and get on and test people who they may have had contact with." He said there have been no positive results from wastewater testing in Northland.

The woman who went into hiding after travelling around Northland with an individual who tested positive for covid-19 was symptomatic when found by police. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report the person was tested on Monday night and the results are expected back on Tuesday. The woman has been held under section 70 of the Health Act and was taken to a quarantine facility. "The section 70 notice does allow the person to effectively be held in a place to keep them and others safe, and also to be tested and any other sort of medical investigations that might be required," Dr Bloomfield said. Neither of the women have been cooperative with authorities during investigation into the case. Dr Bloomfield said the law cannot force woman to speak. He said the Ministry of Health and contact tracers need to know more detail about where the two women were. Some progress was being made through other methods though. "Police have got a reasonably good understanding based on transactions and phone records of where the people were broadly, and the times they were there. "Of course, what we really want to know is more detail about the places and the times they were in those places." Dr Bloomfield said they are currently trying to work out if anyone was infectious while travelling outside Auckland. "The really big question is were they infectious out in the community in Northland, and that's why we need to know where they are and get on and test people who they may have had contact with." He said there have been no positive results from wastewater testing in Northland.

On Wednesday morning, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield acknowledged New Zealand could never return to absolutely zero Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday authorities reported another 23 cases in the community. But Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the government is still doing everything it can to stamp out the virus altogether.

It seems the influence of the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is no match for peer pressure. Principals have told RNZ most teenagers in alert level two areas are not bothering to wear face masks in class, even though Dr Bloomfield has strongly recommended they do. One school has found chocolate effective in encouraging students to wear a mask but even then the effect is temporary. RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen reports

Health authorities have rebuffed calls for all patients to be tested for Covid-19 when entering hospital, saying that's simply not possible. The midwives' union has demanded the action after a Middlemore hospital patient shared a ward with three others before later testing positive. The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield this afternoon told reporters he was very satisfied the clinicians made good decisions based on the information at the time. He says it's not feasible to test everybody who comes on a hospital site.  

New Zealand Nurses Organisation kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says staff shortages in the profession is causing stress right as nurses try to respond to an ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. It comes after a Covid-19 breach at Middlemore Hospital, which Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said has forced hospital is reviewing its procedures. The patient was admitted for symptoms other than Covid-19 tested positive for the virus. He did not show symptoms of the virus when he was admitted, and was not isolated after being tested until the positive result came back. Kerri Nuku spoke to Corin Dann.

The managing director of Mainfrieght says he's been blindsided by a government announcement over changes to rules for drivers crossing the Auckland border. During Thursday's press conference, the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced that essential workers commuting across Auckland's border will be asked to get regular tests. Mainfreight 's managing director Don Braid says it doesn't sound like a workable plan.

Wednesday's 1pm briefing brought some disappointing news for New Zealanders, with the first daily rise in cases since Sunday. Seventy-five new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the community, but the Ministry of Health says that the uptick shouldn't be cause for alarm. One case was from a household contact of a positive case in Wellington and the rest were in Auckland. Seventy-five percent of the new cases did not create exposure events, according to Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. Covid-19 numbers modeller Professor Michael Plank spoke to Corin Dann.

The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed vaccines will be prioritised for Auckland, ahead of the rest of the country. He told Morning Report if vaccine supplies couldn't match demand vaccine supply for the rest of the country could be slowed to put Auckland first. "One of the obviously the options which would be top of the list would be not slowing things down at Auckland," he said "Rather than moving supply around, that would just be sort of slowing things down around the rest of the country so that Auckland can maintain its high rate." Dr Bloomfield said that could see Auckland maintain a pro rata rate of 90,000 vaccinations, while the rest of the country would sit around 50,000 to 60,000. 

Moves are underway at Auckland Hospital to provide more rooms can be available Covid-19 patients. There were 32 patients in hospital across the region yesterday, 18 of them were in Middlemore, 12 at Auckland City hospital and two at North Shore. RNZ understands both Auckland City and Middlemore are near - or at - capacity for the vital negative pressure rooms which help prevent spread. Corin Dann spoke to the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

National says scrutiny of the Government, in person, is critical.The Prime Minister suspended parliament last week, on advice from the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.But, it will now resume tomorrow, after National and ACT rejected a proposal to hold it virtually.National Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop told Kate Hawkesby the select committees on Zoom were pretty inadequate.“We need to get back to Parliament and ask the questions New Zealanders need the answers to like: why is our vaccine rollout so slow? Why are we the slowest in the developed world? Why did we not prepare for this Delta outbreak properly?”LISTEN ABOVE

As eligible workplaces south of Auckland prepare to reopen on Wednesday, there's a push on for rules to be beefed up. Given the high infectiousness of the Delta variant, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has advised Cabinet to tighten rules for workplaces operating under level 3. Public health expert Michael Baker said we now know more about how the virus spreads and a rethink is essential across all levels.  "We know how this virus is transmitted but we need to revise our legal system to reflect that." He spoke to Corin Dann.

On Sunday Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield took time in the daily Covid-19 briefing to thank the essential workers, who are continuing to go to work to support the rest of Aotearoa during alert level 4. He gave a special shout-out to IHC's residential support workers, who work in various supported-living environments for adults with intellectual disabilities. Jasmin Khaiyum, one of those Dr Bloomfield thanked by name, spoke to Corin Dann.

The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, says officials are considering booster injections for those who received their Pfizer vaccines at the start of the year. A new study out from researchers in Britain has found the protection offered by two doses of Pfizer against Covid-19 begins to fade within six months of the second injection, with the effectiveness of the vaccine dropping form 88 percent to 74 percent. They also found a 10 percent drop in effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine after five months. Corin Dann asked Dr Bloomfield whether officials are considering booster shots as a result.

More than 15,000 bookings were made for the Covid-19 shot on Wednesday, when appointments opened for anyone over age 60. That coincided with ongoing concern that vulnerable people in group 3 who are still unvaccinated could suffer longer waits. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Corin Dann.

More than 15,000 bookings were made for the Covid-19 shot on Wednesday, when appointments opened for anyone over age 60. That coincided with ongoing concern that vulnerable people in group 3 who are still unvaccinated could suffer longer waits. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Corin Dann.

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout for Canterbury is under close scrutiny after the District Health Board admitted it won't be getting started on Group four until mid-September. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has told the District Health Board to stick to the government's timeframe but that doesn't look likely to happen. Hipkins and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield declined to appear on Morning Report. National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop was happy to talk though. He spoke to Corin Dann.

Port Taranaki's decision to refuse entry to a ship with two Covid infected crew, is being labelled inhumane. The pair were among nine sailors who flew into Auckland on Monday, and were driven to New Plymouth where they boarded the Viking Bay deep-sea fishing vessel, without first having to quarantine. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at Wednesday's Covid-19 briefing the vessel was on its way back to Taranaki. However, there are no managed isolation or quarantine facilities in New Plymouth and Port Taranaki says it won't let the ship dock. Port sources in Auckland and Wellington said last night they hadn't been told that the vessel would be coming to them instead. The Ministry of Health declined to be interviewed. Bill Preston was the ship's agent when it was in Taranaki. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Port Taranaki's decision to refuse entry to a ship with two Covid infected crew, is being labelled inhumane. The pair were among nine sailors who flew into Auckland on Monday, and were driven to New Plymouth where they boarded the Viking Bay deep-sea fishing vessel, without first having to quarantine. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at Wednesday's Covid-19 briefing the vessel was on its way back to Taranaki. However, there are no managed isolation or quarantine facilities in New Plymouth and Port Taranaki says it won't let the ship dock. Port sources in Auckland and Wellington said last night they hadn't been told that the vessel would be coming to them instead. The Ministry of Health declined to be interviewed. Bill Preston was the ship's agent when it was in Taranaki. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout for Canterbury is under close scrutiny after the District Health Board admitted it won't be getting started on Group four until mid-September. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has told the District Health Board to stick to the government's timeframe but that doesn't look likely to happen. Hipkins and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield declined to appear on Morning Report. National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop was happy to talk though. He spoke to Corin Dann.

The two mariners who've tested postive for Covid-19 didn't have to quarantine when they arrived in Auckland. They're part of a group of nine mariners who flew in on Monday before being transferred onto a deep-sea fishing vessel in New Plymouth. The other mariners have since returned negative Covid-19 tests. Three contacts of the initial two mariners have been identified- one of whom is a Port Taranaki worker who's fully vaccinated. All are self isolating. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield declined to appear on Morning Report. Canterbury University modeller Michael Plank spoke to Corin Dann.

The two mariners who've tested postive for Covid-19 didn't have to quarantine when they arrived in Auckland. They're part of a group of nine mariners who flew in on Monday before being transferred onto a deep-sea fishing vessel in New Plymouth. The other mariners have since returned negative Covid-19 tests. Three contacts of the initial two mariners have been identified- one of whom is a Port Taranaki worker who's fully vaccinated. All are self isolating. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield declined to appear on Morning Report. Canterbury University modeller Michael Plank spoke to Corin Dann.

A new testing station is opening at Te Papa on Friday morning to help cope with increased demand due to a person who later tested positive for Covid-19 visiting Wellington last week. Test results from the critical day five of potential exposure to the infected visitor from Australia should start rolling in on Friday. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Corin Dann.

A new testing station is opening at Te Papa on Friday morning to help cope with increased demand due to a person who later tested positive for Covid-19 visiting Wellington last week. Test results from the critical day five of potential exposure to the infected visitor from Australia should start rolling in on Friday. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Corin Dann.

The Sydney case who visited Wellington sparking the latest Covid scare here has not been confirmed as having the Delta variant of the virus, but the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says health offiicials are assuming it is. The cluster in Sydney now numbers 21 with 10 new cases just yesterday. WHO advisor and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of New South Wales, Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, says it is incredibly infectious.

Ashley Bloomfield says lockdown is an option in Wellington after a person who travelled there from Australia tested positive for Covid-19. The traveller from Sydney, visited Wellington last weekend and tested positive for Covid-19 on their return to Australia. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Susie Ferguson.

The Sydney case who visited Wellington sparking the latest Covid scare here has not been confirmed as having the Delta variant of the virus, but the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says health offiicials are assuming it is. The cluster in Sydney now numbers 21 with 10 new cases just yesterday. WHO advisor and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of New South Wales, Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, says it is incredibly infectious.

Ashley Bloomfield says lockdown is an option in Wellington after a person who travelled there from Australia tested positive for Covid-19. The traveller from Sydney, visited Wellington last weekend and tested positive for Covid-19 on their return to Australia. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Susie Ferguson.

New Zealand finally has a start date for the long-awaited Cook Islands bubble - May 17 - but conditions apply. Both the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Cook Islands counterpart Mark Brown announced the date on Monday afternoon. The announcement comes after numerous delays and false hope, but Ardern says the safety of the Cook Islands had to come first. New Zealand had to be assured it was ready for a potential outbreak. She says the island nation is ready. The green zone is still subject to a final set of criteria being signed off by the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield - including airline and airport preparedness. New Zealand also hopes to start sending the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to the Cook Islands later this month. Fletcher Melvin, president of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, talks to Lisa Owen.

Eden Park could be turned in to a short term mass Covid-19 vaccination clinic. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield and other health leaders have just been giving an update on rollout plans. He says in the second half of the year there will be the need for some one-off booster events to reach tens of thousands of people in one hit. As well as more vaccinators, health authorities will be recruiting volunteers. One of the heads of Auckland's rollout, Counties Manukau DHB chief executive Margie Apa, says they will soon have a lot more vaccination sites running. The focus for now remains on the priority groups - health workers, border workers and older Māori and Pasifika patients. Dr Bloomfield says he is confident that eight million vaccinations - two for every eligible New Zealander - will be done before the end of the year.

A woman who lost her job after her epilepsy drugs were changed without her knowledge has forced a top level health review. Twenty-eight-year-old Laura Hume says it was only after her health began deteriorating that she found out she was one of thousands of people who had been switched to a generic drug in a cost saving drive by Pharmac. Now the Health and Disability Commissioner has found there is a systemic failure in the way brand switches are communicated to patients and has asked Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield to intervene. RNZ In Depth investigative journalist Guyon Espiner has the story.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins is providing the latest update on the Pfizer vaccine, and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has the latest on Covid-19 in the country.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says genomic testing returned overnight confirms that New Zealand's latest Covid-19 case came from within a managed isolation facility. This follows confirmation that a cleaner working in managed isolation caught Covid-19 and appears to have passed it on in spite of having had two doses of the vaccine. Susie Ferguson spoke to Dr Bloomfield and he explained the results of the genome tests.

The Government is proposing a law change giving director-general of Health Ashley Bloomfield oversight for all decisions on fluoridating water supplies.Currently, decisions on fluoridating water supplies sit with individual local councils and mayors have been divided on the issue.Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall today announced the proposed change to the Fluoridation Bill saying it would simplify the decision-making and would allow New Zealand to take a "nationally consistent approach that's based on evidence"."The Government is proposing an amendment to see that decision-making sits with the director-general of Health," Verrall said.It comes after about 6500 children under the age of 9 were admitted to hospital for tooth decay and associated infections in 2019.Verrall said the Fluoridation Bill recognised water fluoridation as a health-related issue."Right now only around 2.3 million New Zealanders have access to fluoridated drinking water."Community water fluoridation is a proven public health measure that will make a big difference to children's wellbeing."The associate health minister said the current level of fluoride found naturally in New Zealand water supplies was not enough to prevent tooth decay."'Topping up' fluoride levels allows the well-established health benefits to reach all New Zealanders, especially our children, Māori and Pacific populations and people in our poorer communities."The Bill was introduced into the House in 2016."Given that fluoridating our drinking water is widely recognised as the single-most important initiative to improve oral health, I expect this Bill to pass this year," Verrall said."Local Councils are responsible for the capital and operational costs of fluoridation. There will be funding available to support local councils with fluoridation related infrastructure work," Verrall said.For more than 60 years New Zealand has been debating the oral health effects of adding fluoride to water.A high-level review carried out in 2014, and commissioned by then-chief science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman and Royal Society Te Aparangi, found fluoride levels used in New Zealand created no health risks and provided protection against tooth decay.But mayors have remained divided on the issue. In February, Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan that her community is against compulsorily adding "medical things" to the water supply."When we asked our community - which was quite a while ago, probably about 20 years ago - they said no thank you."Mai said that she was not opposed to finding out whether the public view has changed in her community, but she did not believe there was any evidence from those other councils that showed fluoride improves oral health.Hamilton's mayor was happy to hand over decisions about fluoride. Earlier this year Mayor Paula Southgate told du Plessis-Allan the Government should decide because it has the experts and knowledge."As far as I'm concerned, we shouldn't always have this constant churn of debate at a local government level."

Today marks a fourth straight day without any new cases of Covid-19 being found in the community. More than 68,000 tests have been processed in the last week - but a number of results are still outstanding. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says all the latest numbers will inform his advice to Cabinet on alert levels.  Otago University Professor Philip Hill who specialises in international health talks to Lisa Owen.

Auckland's whirlwind Covid-19 lockdown has ended just three days after it was imposed. Alert levels dropped overnight , and the city is now at Alert Level 2, while the rest of the country is enjoying the freedom of Alert Level 1. In Auckland workplaces, restaurants, shops and schools are open for business - with gathering limits of 100 people in place. The change was recommended by the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. This was despite three new community cases being reported yesterday - all with a direct link to the earlier cases at Papatoetoe High School. Reporter Jordan Bond has been gauging reaction.

Today there are no new cases of Covid-19 either in the community or in managed isolation and quarantine, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says. He said some of the swabs taken yesterday had not yet returned results, but the lack of new cases was encouraging. Professor Michael Plank, from Te Pūnaha Matatini and University of Canterbury joins The Panel to discuss.

Authorities say the latest test results following the Valentine's Day Covid-19 outbreak are encouraging, but caution the next few days will be crucial. A surge in testing has yet to discover any spread to close contacts or further into the community. The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says that is positive, but it's important to see the results of all the tests. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Authorities say the latest test results following the Valentine's Day Covid-19 outbreak are encouraging, but caution the next few days will be crucial. A surge in testing has yet to discover any spread to close contacts or further into the community. The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says that is positive, but it's important to see the results of all the tests, as they are still uncertain about where the infection came from as the daughter got sick first.  He told Morning Report he would normally be told of any new positive cases overnight, but he hadn't been rung as of 7am on Tuesday. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Results of Covid-19 testing in the community due back on Tuesday will provide a clearer picture on whether Auckland can leave Alert Level 3 at midnight on Wednesday. Cabinet will meet again on Tuesday, as it continues to review the alert levels every 24 hours. On Monday there were no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the community, outside of the three already reported. It was also announced the first batch of Pfizer vaccines arrived in the country on Monday morning and will be administered to border staff from Saturday. The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has sought to reassure the public after what he calls a tumultuous few days.

The government is temporarily toughening up managed isolation rules in the wake of a growing number of community Covid-19 cases. Three people are now confirmed to have caught the more contagious South African strain of the virus from a fellow returnee in managed isolation. A Northland woman, a father and his young daughter were allowed to leave the Pullman Hotel after initially returning negative tests. Swipe card data shows the so-called index case and the three returnees were out of their rooms at the same time on several occasions, but the exact means of transmission is not yet known. The Pullman Hotel is not taking on any more returnees until officials find out what's gone wrong. Once the hotel is eventually empty, it will be deep-cleaned. In the meantime, across all MIQ facilities, all returnees will be confined to their rooms for the final three days of isolation to avoid any cross-contamination. And on Thursday afternoon, Australia's acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd has hit pause again on the trans-Tasman travel bubble, until at least Sunday. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Lisa Owen how the three infected people might have come in contact when they were out of their rooms.

The Mayor of Thames-Coromandel is welcoming the Govenrment's new Covid plan, but wants to ensure the services are there to look after people. Our Covid-19 resurgence plan's been unveiled - including the worst case scenario of someone testing positive after being at a big festival in a different region.Because there's a high risk of widespread transmission, people would need to temporarily stay where they are.Should there be a case at a campsite, Kiwis could see targeted alert levels changes; but if a border worker tests positive, we'd likely stay at alert level one.Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says Kiwis should stay put if there's a Covid outbreak where they are this summer.He told media today they should wait for advice and information."It's very important in the first instance that people don't rush to get home and potentially take the virus with them."Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the plan is reasonably sensible, but the wrap-around services need to be there. "It's something to try and contain it to a pretty localised area, so if you've got a campground you can keep it within the campground as much as you like, bearing in mind that people do come and go."She says that there are a lot of people packed into these packs. "The crowds are huge, so the lines at some of the facilities are very long."Goudie says the Government will need to come through with the "goods and services" and assist with costs should people be locked down in a campground. She says people should wash their hands and do the right thing, and keep those extra precautions up during the summer.  

New Zealand has a new agreement to purchase a vaccine for Covid-19, provided it works. The government has signed up to buy enough doses of a Janssen Pharmaceuticals vaccine for the entire population. The vaccine has not yet finished clinical trials. Corin Dann speaks to Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

Online meeting attendance only is likely to be the new advice from the DG of health when it comes quarantine workers catching up with their colleagues after a Defence Force employee infected someone else during a face to face work meeting. There are four new Covid-19 cases in managed isolation today, but none in the community. Two NZDF workers earlier tested positive for the virus. One is a worker at Auckland's Jet Park quarantine facility. The second person apparently caught the virus at a meeting with the MIQ worker. Case B then flew back to Wellington on NZ-457 on Thursday evening, creating a web of contacts. They were not wearing a mask. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield explains how much contact NZDF workers have with infected returnees.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says genomic sequencing shows a clear link between a health worker that tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend and fishing crew staying at the Sudima Hotel. The health worker got tested on Sunday after falling ill on Saturday and was revealed to have Covid-19 on Monday evening. The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday a second worker had tested positive for Covid-19 since then, a close contact of the first worker. Dr Bloomfield said further tests had made it clear the first worker's infection was likely linked to the fishing crews. "It's exactly the same genome sequence as the genome sequence on five of the crew that we had already tested." Around 200 Russian and Ukrainian fishing crew arrived in NZ in October 31 have since tested positive. Nurses' union voices concerns The NZ Nurses Organisation is calling for an urgent review of how the Covid-19 isolation hotels are being run after the health workers tested positive, saying staff are becoming increasingly anxious and fearful. Kaiwhakahaere for the Nurses Organisation, Kerri Nuku, says nurses are not given enough support for the numbers of people they have to deal with.  "These nurses are tired, there are few nurses that have responsibilities for large numbers of clients and so the expectation on them is huge." Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report they're still trying to establish how two members of the healthcare team got infected, but a thorough investigation of the particular case is underway. "We do a really thorough review of every single case and of where we get an infection like this." But he's not aware of problems with staffing. "I'm not aware of any staffing issues per se in either the facility in Christchurch, or shortages in the managed isolation facilities around the country." Dr Bloomfield said it is important the concerns of nurses are heard and the DHB and public health unit need to sit down with workers and the NZNO to find out what the issues are.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says there is one new imported case in managed isolation, and no new community cases today.

A pop-up testing centre will open for border workers at Port Taranaki today after a new case of Covid-19 in the community. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield revealed the case yesterday - an Auckland man who travelled to the district for work at the port last Tuesday and Wednesday. Health authorities say the risk of community transmission is "very low" because the man had minimal interaction with others while in New Plymouth. Genomic testing is due to begin to try to identify the source of his infection. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield speaks to Corin Dann.

A man who tested positive for Covid-19 nearly a week after leaving managed isolation is believed to have had an unusually long incubation of the virus. He returned from India on 27 August and tested positive for the virus nearly a week after leaving managed isolation. The Auckland man's wife and child have also tested positive. All are now in quarantine. The Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says this case is not connected to the main Auckland cluster. He told RNZ reporter Charlotte Cook a charter flight back to Auckland, with 87 people who had completed isolation, including the family is one of the places the man could have picked up the virus.

Health authorities will today confirm if anyone who attended gym classes with a health worker who has tested positive for Covid-19. The authorities have urged almost ninety close contacts who attended the classes at Takapuna's Les Mills to self isolate and get tested. It's likely the worker contracted the virus at the Jet Park near Auckland Airport, but exactly how is still being investigated by health officials. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report results should come through on Tuesday.  [audio_play] "We'll expect those results to come through today." - Ashley Bloomfield "We'll be able to give an update today on just how many of those people might have been infected if they were exposed during that session," he said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she thought testing was taking place for all border workers, asymptomatic or not, before Auckland's latest Covid-19 outbreak, but it was not. "Our view was that would be quite wide testing, including asymptomatic. What appears to be been the case is that it was tending not to necessarily have that level of coverage across border staff." The Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said yesterday that there was not testing failure at the border, he described it as a miscommunication. Ardern told Morning Report she had heard of some reluctance around asymptomatic testing, which was not on and people working in areas of high risk need to be tested symptoms or not. She also added weekly testing wasn't a silver bullet and was only part of the measures taken to ensure protection at the border, which also includes regular health checks and PPE. "A weekly testing regime is not foolproof," Ardern said. "You can have someone tested on a Monday who may touch the handle of something or be in contact with someone at risk on a Wednesday, be symptomatic for a period and not be tested again until the following week."

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee says he is "not at all comfortable" that he might have aided conspiracy theorists by asking whether the Government was covering up information about the recent Covid-19 outbreak.Brownlee, in a press conference with leader Judith Collins, raised a series of questions on Wednesday that suggested the Government knew more than it had announced about Covid-19 community transmission.National Party leader Judith Collins and deputy leader Gerry Brownlee. Photo / Mark MitchellBut Brownlee told Newstalk ZB's Canterbury Mornings host Chris Lynch this morning that he got himself into a "bad spot" with those comments, saying he wasn't trying to spur on conspiracy theorists but simply get as many facts out there as possible."I got myself into a bad spot the other day," he said."I'm not at all comfortable that I might have unleashed some sort of credence to those people."He said the way his comments had been presented was "unfortunate"."I certainly didn't enjoy it, it's not my intention at a time like this to create uncertainty."Housing Minister Megan Woods was also on the same ZB programme.When asked why families who recently tested positive to Covid-19 were now being taken into quarantine facilities just hours after director general of Health Ashley Bloomfield said New Zealand rounded up sheep rather than people, Woods said they wanted to.Woods, who is in charge of managed isolation facilities, said some of the people who were testing positive actually wanted to go into quarantine."They wanted to isolate themselves away from family members who haven't tested positive," she said.Some of the families were big families living in single houses and so quarantine was a good option, Woods said.Woods said testing was an important tool but only one tool in the toolbox, when asked if she was worried about news that many working near New Zealand's borders hadn't been tested.She said testing was a "reactive" tool.It was more important to keep staff at the border safe with daily health checks and adequate personal protective equipment, she said."Of course the testing will tell us if someone has Covid, but the most important thing we can do is prevent them getting Covid."Housing Minister Megan Woods is also in charge of managed isolation facilities. Photo / Mark MitchellBut National's Brownlee dismissed this, saying it was a concern."To find out that two-thirds of those working on the border have not been tested at all in five months was quite a concern," he said.He also said the contact tracing system was working too slow.Brownlee admitted he had changed his own views about the Government's contact tracing app and he now encouraged everyone to sign up and use it.Woods denied that by not testing staff at the border the Government was actually going soft rather than hard and fast to crush Covid-19.She made the point that anyone with symptoms, who worked at the border was being tested.A quarantine facility in Wellington. Photo / Mark MitchellHowever, Brownlee said that asymptomatic people could also spread Covid-19.This meant everyone working at the border should be tested, he said.It was an inconvenience that those workers simply had to live with.Woods said she had been trying to make the point that it was not enough to simply rely on testing to defend the country against Covid-19.But Brownlee interjected to say the Government hadn't been relying on testing at all given the majority of staff working at the border hadn't been tested.Woods also said the Government hadn't stopped flights around the country because of the short term nature of the original level 3 lockdown in Auckland, which was earmarked to last for just three days at first.That was to give people the chance to get home, she said.But when asked about what was stopping the virus heading to Christchurch or elsewhere on a flight, Woods said those on flights were wearing masks and being asked to exercise common s...

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed a Mount Albert Grammar School student has tested positive for Covid-19. Mt Albert Grammar is the country's second largest school with about 3000 students. Dr Bloomfield speaks to Kim Hill.

One of the countries top infectious disease specialists says it's highly unlikely the Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland originated from imported goods. The Ministry of Health is testing surfaces at Americold coldstore offices where one of the Covid-19 positive patients worked. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has revealed the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time. David Murdoch is a professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Otago.

Auckland will be going into Level 3 restrictions for three days from midday today after four cases of community transmission of Covid-19 from the same family were confirmed. The lockdown will initially last until midnight on Friday. Across the same timeframe, the rest of the country will be operating under Alert Level 2. In a hastily arranged press conference last night, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the first case was a person in their 50s who lives in South Auckland. That person was swabbed when they went to their doctor on Monday with symptoms and has now had two positive tests. The person has no history of overseas travel and has not been in known contact with anyone at a managed isolation centre or at the border. Three more members of his household have since tested positive. Just after 9.15 on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern then outlined the lockdown levels for Auckland and the rest of the country.

New Zealand's 102 day no Covid-19 community transmission streak made it the envy of nearly every other country on Earth. That run has come to a screeching halt, and at midday Auckland will enter Alert Level 3 restrictions until midnight Friday, after four cases of community transmission of Covid-19 were confirmed. At the same time, the rest of the country will be operating under Alert Level 2. At a late-night press conference yesterday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the first case came from a person who was swabbed when they went to their doctor on Monday with symptoms, and has now had two positive tests. The person, and their three infected family members, have no history of overseas travel and have not been in known contact with anyone at a managed isolation centre or at the border. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders not to be too disheartened by the news.

Dr Debbie Ryan is the Principal of Pacific Perspectives and during the initial stages of the Coronavirus outbreak, Dr Ryan was commissioned to set up a Pacific Response Team on behalf of the Ministry of Health to inform and advise our Pasifika communities.  Last night the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced that as of midday today Auckland would be moving into Covid 19 alert Level 3 and the rest of the country Level 2. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is being warned of major health problems for Canterbury if he can't stop the flurry of resignations of the region's top health executives. In a matter of days, four senior staff have walked from their positions at Canterbury and West Coast district health boards. The management team has been at loggerheads with government appointees on the Canterbury DHB board over cost cutting efforts. Tuesday's shock resignation of longstanding Canterbury DHB chief executive David Meates was compounded on Wednesday when chief financial officer Justine White announced she was moving to the Auckland District Health Board. The region's planning and funding director Carolyn Gullery also quit this week, while chief people officer Michael Frampton left in July. Former chair of the Canterbury Hospital Medical Staff Association Ruth Spearing, told RNZ's Anan Zaki that world class talent is leaving Canterbury and Dr Bloomfield needs to step in.

The High Court in Wellington is hearing a case on whether the level 4 lockdown and closing all but essential businesses was lawful. The judicial review is being brought by lawyer Andrew Borrowdale against Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield challenging the legality of the Covid-19 lockdown rules imposed by the government. Here to help the Pacific Breakfast show, and those listening in with similar curiosity, get an a lay understanding of it all is barrister & President of the Pacific Lawyers Association, Ms. Tania Sharkey. Kia ora, ata marie & mōrena kia koe Tania. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The High Court has been told the Government decided to amend the lockdown rules when it became clear the public didn't understand them. A judicial review is underway into whether the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield exceeded his powers when the country was put into lockdown in late March. Andrew Borrowdale brought the case - his lawyer Tiho Mijatov has told the court the Government cannot make rules by proclamation and must follow the law. Acting for the Crown, Victoria Casey QC said the powers Mijatov claimed were the sole basis of the lockdown orders actually only played a small part. RNZ's Hamish Cardwell is following the case.

Today the High Court is being asked to decide whether putting the country into lockdown level four and shutting businesses was lawful. Lawyer Andrew Borrowdale is bringing the judicial review case against the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield saying he exceeded his powers when imposing the Covid-19 lockdown rules. Hamish Cardwell will be following case and told me earlier how the case came about.

It doesn't take long for things to unravel when the public gets a whiff of incompetence. This week the breakdown between Health Minister David Clark and Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield coincided with a One News Colmar Brunton poll. RNZ political reporter Jo Moir reports.

New Zealanders have been left furious this week after Covid-19 returned to the country.Two cases were confirmed on Tuesday after two women were allowed to leave managed isolation without being tested.It led to a slew of news stories about flaws in the quarantine process, with people absconding while being on compassionate leave to attend funerals and hotels hosting private functions in rooms that were used for exercise by those in quarantine. The Government, praised internationally a week ago for eliminating the virus, has come under intense pressure to sort out the problems, with much of the blame being passed on to the Ministry of Health and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.Herald columnist Simon Wilson and radio host Lorna Subrtizky joined Andrew Dickens to discuss where the blame should lie and how the problems are indicative of wider health system flaws.LISTEN ABOVE

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is seeking to allay fears about catching Covid-19 from people in isolation in light of five confirmed cases in the past week in returnees in managed isolation or just having left isolation.It appears that fears of some residents living in 149 Stamford apartments about potential contact with returnees may have scuppered a new six-month deal the Stamford hotel had with the Government as an isolation facility.Hotel staff last night told some residents that they had been ordered to close the hotel and would be losing their jobs.The hotel and apartments have separate entrances, and the only shared space would have been the service lift and emergency exit.Two new Covid-19 cases were identified yesterday in a couple near the end of their 14 days in isolation at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland, who had flown in from India on June 5 on a repatriation flight.They were tested as part of new routine testing on Day 3 and Day 12 of mandatory managed isolation for all arrivals.According to Bloomfield, they had no symptoms and have been transferred to a stricter quarantine facility at the Jet Park Hotel.Their positive result follows that of a returnee from Pakistan, confirmed on Thursday, and two sisters confirmed on Tuesday who had returned from Britain.They had been staying in the Novotel Ellerslie and after the death of their mother, were granted early release to drive to Wellington to comfort their father, but tested positive in Wellington.In a stricter testing regime, everyone at the hotels where the recent cases had been staying and everyone on their flights were now being tested.Bloomfield said cases were always expected as more New Zealanders returned home.Before routine testing was announced on June 9, a total of 35 people in managed isolation or quarantine had been confirmed as having had it. But he stressed that the cases had been expected as returnees increased and there was no evidence it had been spread within facilities.From the beginning of April when managed isolation started "we have not seen any further infections as a result of people in managed isolation either within the facilities or once they have left the facilities"."Our procedures are good."He said there was not a risk of infection of Covid-19 from a fleetingly interaction or walking past someone with it."You can take a photo which might show people passing each other. It doesn't mean there is a risk or it meets the definition of potential close contact."But those procedures were being audited to make sure they were "rock solid".The new head of managed isolation and quarantine, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, also moved to reassure the public about the safety procedures after a week of bad publicity about apparent lax rules.He set out all the procedures of getting the couple who were confirmed yesterday from their managed isolation hotel to the quarantine hotel – using a dedicated vehicle, driver and assistance in PPE gear, and their former room sealed for 10 days then given a deep clean.He said last night there had been no decision yet on whether to use the Stamford Plaza hotel and that it was still being assessed.However the Herald has learned that residents were told on Friday that the hotel would be an isolation facility for up to six months by order of the Ministry of Health.Local MP and National deputy leader Nikki Kaye has got involved and is planning to meet residents today with health spokesman Michael Woodhouse.Bloomfield also said that there should be no stigma attached to people with Covid-19."It is a virus that does not discriminate."Because New Zealand had such a small number of cases, those who did test positive received a lot of attention."Please remember it could be your relative, mother, brother or sister or father or it could be a friend who has returned home. Please be compassionate and kind."We are in this together." 

The Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has apologised for the quarantine control fiasco of recent days and says he is committed to ensuring the border is watertight. With a global pandemic raging off shore, and hundreds still arriving back into the country, how realistic is it to think we can successfully seal ourselves off from Covid-19? Professor Michael Plank is from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury.

"I didn't think things could get much worse after the news yesterday that two women left managed isolation, tiki toured to Wellington and tested positive for Covid.  It showed up the incompetence of Ministry of Health officials and a clear failure of the system.A system we were led to believe was robust and capable of protecting New Zealanders from Covid 19. And yet yesterday, from the 1pm press conference, it seemed that every hour on the hour, another piece of gob smacking incompetence was revealed.The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield fronted for the Mike Hosing Breakfast this morning to give him his credit but his attempts to minimise the failure of his officials was woeful.Listen to the full editorial by Kerre McIvor above

There're still conflicting views on what sisters who have Covid-19 did on their trip from Auckland to Wellington. It's now emerged the two women did, as National MP Michael Woodhouse said, have contact with two friends as they were leaving Auckland. Director general of Health Ashley Bloomfield says they did not kiss and cuddle them after they helped them navigate their way out of the city. Michael Woodhouse stood by his story when he spoke to us earlier.  Behind all this is criticism of how people coming into the country are isolated and a lack of clarity over compassionate leave from that isolation. Jane Patterson is RNZ's Political Editor.

Officials who allowed two women out of isolation, on compassionate grounds, broke a rule which had been in force for four days. Both women tested positive for Covid-19 after the pair drove from Novotel in Auckland to Wellington on Saturday, to visit a dying parent. Speaking in a Facebook Live the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she did not think the way the exemption had been handled was acceptable. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says people must now return a negative result before being allowed to leave quarantine. That rule has been spelt out on his Ministry's website since the 9 June. Exemptions have now been suspended until the Health Minister is confident the mistake won't happen again. Nearly 200 people have been allowed to quit quarantine early on compassionate grounds but it is not clear how many were first tested for Covid-19. Otago University infectious diseases expert Professor Michael Baker says the case is concerning.

The two women who tested positive for Covid-19 had been granted an exemption to travel to Wellington after the death of one of their parents. The Health Minister told Checkpoint he is not happy the women left their mandatory isolation in Auckland to drive to Wellington before being tested first. But with global cases of Covid-19 hitting eight million, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says it is not surprising New Zealand's virus-free streak has been broken. He is confident the right systems are in place to ensure any further spread is contained. RNZ reporter Sarah Robson has the story.

Two women who arrived from the UK on 7 June were allowed out of managed isolation in Auckland to travel to Wellington on compassionate grounds whilst infected with the novel coronavirus. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says both returned positive tests for Covid-19 after driving between Auckland and Wellington. Former RNZ reporter Alexa Cook is in quarantine after returning from the UK. She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Nearly 400 health specialists are telling government it must invest in rundown GP and hospital IT systems. A national health stocktake has revealed that data systems are outdated, poorly managed and vulnerable to  cyber threats. As Phil Pennington reports clinicians have now written to the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield urging him to act.  

Effective contact tracing is critical to keep on top of Covid-19, but it appears New Zealand has a two-tier system. Two of country's biggest public health units are refusing to use the government's national programme, saying their own software is better. Corin Dann speaks to Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

The Ministry of Health is ramping up testing at the border as the number of Covid-19 cases remains at zero. For the twelfth consecutive day there were no new cases of Covid and there's still only one active case in the country. That means the total number of cases remains at 1,154. Speaking at today's press conference, the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says testing remains a fundamental pillar of the country's elimination strategy. From next week it is proposing to test everyone who returns to New Zealand, including finalising details to test everyone twice over a 14-day period.

As contact tracing apps become a feature of life during the Covid pandemic - just how many are we going to have to put up with? The government's NZ COVID Tracer hit Apple's App Store and Google Play stores on Tuesday night, and by the time the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield did his media appearance at 1pm yesterday 92,000 people had downloaded it. It's an app of two halves: your personal information will be registered with the Ministry of Health, while your phone will store location information collected via QR code scanning. But you'll still have to use various registers provided by businesses. Joining Lynn to talk about the app is computer systems engineer Andrew Chen, a research fellow with Koi Tu: The Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland.

The Government's new coronavirus contact tracing app is now up and running. It comes ahead of today's announcement by the Prime Minister about what Alert Level 1 might look like and how we will get there. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield speaks to Corin Dann.

It is another day of no new cases of covid-19 in New Zealand. There have been no more deaths and two people remain in hospital. But New Zealand's overall tally has increased by four, to 1503, as the Director-general of Health Ashley Bloomfield explains.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield stops by the Podcast for a chat about his experience of the crisis and the way forward from here.

The High Court has allowed a man to leave mandatory quarantine to visit his dying father, despite having recently returned from the United Kingdom. The case has raised questions about the way the Ministry of Health handles applications for a compassionate exemption from quarantine. The Prime Minister yesterday said 18 people had been granted such exemptions. However, a spokesperson for Ardern later said she had been given inaccurate information, and that as Morning Report said yesterday, there have been 24 requests for exemption from quarantine to visit dying relatives - none of which have been granted. The Prime Minister has now asked the Minister of Health for these cases to be reviewed in light of the Court's ruling. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield speaks to Kim Hill.

Whether or not the country moves out of Alert Level 3 restrictions in two weeks is up to you. That's the message from the Prime Minister as she warns people not to be complacent about the gains made so far in controlling Covid-19. The World Health Organisation has labelled this country's response to the pandemic as world leading. But it's also warning against complaceny with 400,000 more people back at work, long queues for takeaways and much more traffic on the roads. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield speaks to Corin Dann.

New Zealand has been making international headlines overnight for "eliminating" Covid 19. A story titled "Coronavirus currently eliminated in NZ" led the BBC website. Similar stories appeared in the United States and Australia. Most stories quoted Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield from yesterday's press briefing, where he said that there was only one case in the whole of April that hasn't had it's origin sucessfully traced. But University of Otago public health expert Professor Michael Baker says talk of elimination is premature.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says there is "no value" in trying to save people who have coronavirus if it means greater social damage is caused.We need to save our economy as fast as we can before further damage is caused, Peters told Newstalk ZB's The Weekend Collective.The decision on whether New Zealand will move down to alert level 3 will be announced at 4pm today."The secret is that we keep a sense of balance," Peters said."In other words it would be of no value if we save a lot of Covid people in our approach - and yet during it we've got all sorts of things like depression, suicide, breakdowns and a whole lot of other social things having far greater social damage."In the end the only thing that's going to save lives, isn't just medical expertise - but an economy that's capable of providing the utilities to face the crisis."He also hit back at those who say alert level 3 isn't much different to level 4.Recently National's Judith Collins said level 3 is just like level 4 but with KFC.Peters said level 3 has changed since the alert level system was introduced 30 days ago, arguing we know more now from watching the pandemic unfold both domestically and internationally.He said level 3 means 500,000 more people can go back to work."It's sad people have to get political in times like this," he said."If you can't help then get out of the way of people who are trying to help".There were nine new confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand announced on Sunday, taking the total of confirmed and probable cases to 1431.There was one new death since Saturday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced at the 1pm Government update.The death brings the total toll to 12 and was of a man who died in his Invercargill homeand who was linked to the Bluff wedding cluster. It is the first coronavirus death in the community.The man, aged in his 70s, died in his Kingswell home on Tuesday evening. The Bluff wedding cluster has been connected to more than 90 cases, including the death of the groom's father.Bloomfield said it was important to get a good understanding of the death so a post-mortem was ordered - leading to the delay in confirmation that it was Covid-related.The new cases are made up of four confirmed cases and five probable cases.They are all linked to confirmed cases.Of the 1431 confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand, 912 people have recovered - an increase of 45 from Saturday.There are 18 people in hospital, including one each in ICU at Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals; two are in a critical condition.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says there is "no value" in trying to save people who have coronavirus if it means greater social damage is caused.We need to save our economy as fast as we can before further damage is caused, Peters told Newstalk ZB's The Weekend Collective.The decision on whether New Zealand will move down to alert level 3 will be announced at 4pm today."The secret is that we keep a sense of balance," Peters said."In other words it would be of no value if we save a lot of Covid people in our approach - and yet during it we've got all sorts of things like depression, suicide, breakdowns and a whole lot of other social things having far greater social damage."In the end the only thing that's going to save lives, isn't just medical expertise - but an economy that's capable of providing the utilities to face the crisis."He also hit back at those who say alert level 3 isn't much different to level 4.Recently National's Judith Collins said level 3 is just like level 4 but with KFC.Peters said level 3 has changed since the alert level system was introduced 30 days ago, arguing we know more now from watching the pandemic unfold both domestically and internationally.He said level 3 means 500,000 more people can go back to work."It's sad people have to get political in times like this," he said."If you can't help then get out of the way of people who are trying to help".There were nine new confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand announced on Sunday, taking the total of confirmed and probable cases to 1431.There was one new death since Saturday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced at the 1pm Government update.The death brings the total toll to 12 and was of a man who died in his Invercargill homeand who was linked to the Bluff wedding cluster. It is the first coronavirus death in the community.The man, aged in his 70s, died in his Kingswell home on Tuesday evening. The Bluff wedding cluster has been connected to more than 90 cases, including the death of the groom's father.Bloomfield said it was important to get a good understanding of the death so a post-mortem was ordered - leading to the delay in confirmation that it was Covid-related.The new cases are made up of four confirmed cases and five probable cases.They are all linked to confirmed cases.Of the 1431 confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand, 912 people have recovered - an increase of 45 from Saturday.There are 18 people in hospital, including one each in ICU at Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals; two are in a critical condition.

Top health officials are poised to receive advice from the World Health Organisation in the coming days as to whether all New Zealanders should be wearing face masks in public at all times.The rationale behind the thinking lies in the plan to limit the spread of Covid-19 from those who have the virus, but are not showing any symptoms.This comes as the number of confirmed and probable Covid-19 cases jumped by 82, taking the total to 950.Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield was optimistic about the numbers."It may well be its peaking now because we're seeing it flattening off."Over the past week, the number of new Covid-19 cases has been levelling out."What we have seen over the last four or five days is effectively a flattening off of the number of new cases, including over the last two or three days with that much higher level of testing," Bloomfield said.But he added he would need to see that trend continue for two or three more days before he knew for sure whether there had been a flattening off.As he waits to observe the new case numbers, Director of Public Health Caroline McElnay says she will be keeping a close eye on advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) about face masks.That advice will confirm whether or not everyone in New Zealand should be wearing face masks when out in public, to limit the spread of Covid-19.According to Ministry of Health advice, people can have the disease but not be showing symptoms.Any new face mask rules would be aimed at limiting the spread from those individuals.But McElnay told reporters that face masks worn by the community at large was "right at the very bottom of our strategies for containment of Covid-19".She said other measures, such as proper hygiene etiquette, were more effective in limiting the disease's spread.Earlier today, the US' Centres for Disease Control recommended all Americans wear face masks when they leave their home.This message, however, was almost immediately contradicted by US President Donald Trump who told people the recommendation was "voluntary" and he himself would not be following the advice.But Bloomfield was quick to point out that the US was in a "very different situation from what New Zealand is at the moment"."They have clearly widespread infections and widespread community transmission," he said after McElnay's comments on face masks."They have a much lower rate of testing and that's partly why they have… gone to advising the use of face [masks]."He said the US had a wider infection rate across the community – "we're not in that position".He said New Zealand had moved "much faster than America", with much more stringent controls and much more strict self-isolation rules.Asked about the factors which would be required for New Zealand to come out of alert level four, Bloomfield said that work was ongoing."But we will be providing advice to Cabinet in the coming days on that."Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website 

Health officials are asking us to reduce physical contact but increase social awareness.The Ministry of Health confirmed New Zealand has 14 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the country's total number of cases to 67.The country's alert level is still at two, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says.Dr Bloomfield says everyone has to take responsibility to stop the virus spreading.The outbreak is fast developing, with new information coming thick and fast. To help make sense of what is happening and what the future holds, Dr Michelle Dickinson joined Andrew Dickens to discuss the latest developments and answers listener's questions. LISTEN ABOVE   

Officials are investigating the first possible community transmission of coronavirus in New Zealand, with the country sitting on alert-level 2 in a new four-tiered warning system.It comes as many parts of the world move into lockdown - including the UK and large swathes of the United States - and the death toll of the pandemic reaches almost 12,000. There are now almost 300,000 who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 around the world - 90,000 of whom are considered already recovered.Italy now has more than 53,000 confirmed cases and the world's highest death toll of 4825. It recorded its highest day-to-day jump on Saturday – 793 dead and 6557 cases.In New Zealand, alert-level 2 means Covid-19 is "contained but risk of community transmission growing" and human contact must be further reduced - over-70s have been told to stay at home and everyone needs to limit domestic travel.A further 13 positive tests in New Zealand were confirmed on Saturday - the biggest jump in cases in a single day so far - and the country now has 52 cases in total.Test results are awaited for two possible cases of community transmission – unrelated to overseas travel - in Auckland and Wairarapa."At this point, we cannot rule out a risk of community transmission in these cases," Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said yesterday, announcing that the country's Covid-19 tally now sits at 52 confirmed cases.AP reports that streets, squares and highways are deserted in large parts of the world as curfews and lockdowns multiplied in the face of the rapidly advancing virus that is severely straining many health systems.Three American states with a combined population of 70 million are moving to restrict residents to their homes to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. California started on Friday and New York and Illinois were to follow this weekend. Connecticut and Oregon were preparing to do the same.The United Kingdom - including London - is in lockdown and the death toll there has now reached 233, with 53 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours. NHS England said: "Patients were aged between 41 and 94 years old and all had underlying health conditions."After Italy and China, Spain now has the third-highest number of infections worldwide. On Saturday it reported almost 5000 new cases in the past day, bringing the total to nearly 25,000. The death toll rose to 1326, up from 1002 Friday.Italy is struggling, with a median age of the overall population at 45.4 last year – greater than anywhere else in Europe. It is also seven years higher than the median age in China and slightly above that of South Korea.Figures released on Friday showed the age of Italians dying of Covid-19 averaging out at 78.5. Almost 99 per cent of them were also suffering from at least one pre-existing condition or ailment.Italy's mortality rate among those infected with the virus is thus a relatively high 8.6 per cent."Covid-19 fatalities are hitting older age groups hard," University of Oxford professor Jennifer Dowd noted on Twitter. "Countries with older populations will need to take more aggressive protective measures to stay below the threshold of critical cases that outstrip health system capacities."Alert level three will be initiated in New Zealand if there's a heightened risk that the disease is not contained and could result in school closures, domestic travel restrictions, more public venue closures, and non face-to-face primary care consultations.The past 24 hours have again seen the pandemic interrupt everyday life on a scale unprecedented in modern history.All people aged over 70 – more than half a million people - or anyone with compromised immune systems, are now asked to stay at home. Non-essential domestic travel is discouraged."It's not about whether or not you're worried about yourself. It's that you should be worried for those around you, so please take it seriously," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in her first-ever address to...

The Prime Minister was seeking official advice yesterday over two major public events coming up this weekend.. the Mosque attack memorial in Christchurch, and the Pasifika festival in Auckland.She wanted to know, given the Covid-19 situation, how to manage them. She was reassured by the Ministry of Health the events can go ahead as there's no community outbreak.Well, there isn't yet, but surely that's just a matter of time.And is there really any way to 'manage' large scale public events? In the very city where the cases of Coronavirus are, the Pasifika organisers have said they're rightly nervous, they don't want to feel responsible for anyone falling ill.But surely the more you gather in large groups of people, in a city already grappling with five confirmed and two probable cases, with 47 under investigation and 2334 people still in self isolation - the more risk you take?The Auckland Council tried to reassuringly suggest they were on top of things. They said they were 'being vigilant'. What they mean by that is they're briefing people about hand washing.The advice for these public events is, if you feel sick, stay home. But how do you police that? And at what point do you feel sick?Some cases we know of say they felt absolutely fine, had no idea they were carrying the virus at all.The official advice is these events are manageable, but all you're relying on is people voluntarily doing the right thing, to cough into their elbows, and stay home if they're sick.Although I’m largely in the ‘don’t panic’ camp, I take that view from the luxury of not being in the high mortality risk age group and of not having any pre-existing conditions.Not everyone fits that criteria. I met a guy yesterday whose pre-existing bronchial condition means that he can't afford to risk catching Coronavirus as his chances of surviving it, according to his doctor, would not be very high.Now that’s scary. If you’re in that category, or have a weak immune system, the risks for you are far greater. Likewise for many older people.Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said that, "Now is the time to be even more vigilant.“ He said, “All of us have a role to play in stopping further spread."Given that, surely then the goal is to protect as many people as possible, and that includes not taking any risks with large scale public events.

COMMENTAt a time when everybody's making sacrifices and compromises, and that includes many businesses and workers, imagine my surprise when lab workers announced they're going ahead with planned strike action this Friday.These are lab workers who work in labs that test for Covid-19, so they're at the coal face of the coronavirus response, and they're happy to just down tools. Smack bang in the middle of our crisis response.The Ministry of Health has said it's "poor timing". I would've thought that's the understatement of the year.The district health board lab workers and NZ Blood Service employees, who are members of the APEX Union, will strike for the day to protest pay and conditions. They want action on their collective agreement, they're aggrieved that, despite lab members "holding university qualifications, they earn 12 per cent less than a similarly qualified, registered nurse".Look, I get it. That sucks, you have an axe to grind, you're getting no cut through with the negotiators, you're angry and you want resolution. But seriously? Now? The strike action is ongoing until May, why not pause Friday's strike given the circumstances and pick it up at a later date?Why risk losing public support and sympathy, by being petulant enough to strike now?With all the businesses and people doing it so tough right now, does your desire to strike, take precedence over all other rational thought? How disconnected do you have to be from reality, to think your collective agreement dispute over-rides public duty to have lab test results seamlessly processed without disruption during a coronavirus outbreak?Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the timing "wasn't very good", but reiterated the strike will not impact testing for Covid-19.He said the workers involved, "were not involved directly in the testing", but it's still disruption in labs, that do have non-union members frantically working to process results.Any way you slice it, it does cause disruption, and it's a selfish act. It's putting their own cause before the greater good at a time when many businesses are being asked to sacrifice.Bloomfield said it was disappointing, and unfortunate that the workers were using the coronavirus period to attempt some kind of leverage.I don't think anyone will have any sympathy for that. I'm also not sure health authorities will be finding the time to prioritise these grievances and negotiations, given holding people over a barrel during tough times like this, tends not to hold much sway.I'd like to think they reconsider before Friday. But I doubt it. 

A military training base north of Auckland is being turned into a quarantine centre for New Zealanders returning from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak.Dozens of people will be kept in isolation at the New Zealand Defence Force site in Whangaparāoa for two weeks to contain any possible infection making it out into the community.The site - officially called the Tāmaki Leadership Centre - is operated by the Royal NZ Navy and is where sailors and trainees undertake outdoor and weapons training.It has a range of facilities including classrooms and an extensive confidence course on site. It is also known for its beautiful views and scenery.Following the US and Australia, as of today all foreign travellers from China are barred from entering New Zealand for up to two weeks.The Government announced the drastic decision on Sunday afternoon.It is placing temporary entry restrictions into New Zealand on all foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China to assist with the containment of the novel coronavirus and to protect New Zealand and the Pacific Islands from the disease.The ban will remain in place for up to 14 days. The position will be reviewed every 48 hours.The new restrictions include:Any foreign travellers who leave or transit through mainland China after February 2, 2020 (NZ time) will be refused entry to New Zealand.• Any foreign travellers in transit to New Zealand on February 2, 2020 will be subject to enhanced screening on arrival but, pending clearance, will be granted entry to New Zealand.• New Zealand citizens and permanent residents returning to New Zealand will still be able to enter, as will their immediate family members, but will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival back in the countryA pilot wearing a protective suit parks a cargo plane at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in China's Hubei Province. Flight crew flying Kiwis from China will have protective equipment. Photo / APThat will make a significant dent in tourism from one of our biggest markets at the busiest time of year.In the coming days about 70 New Zealanders who have been trapped in the epicentre of a global health emergency will be evacuated by the Government.Health Minister David Clark said they will immediately be placed in compulsory isolation for two weeks at Whangaparāoa military training facility.Clark said health staff will check them daily, but otherwise they will try to keep a sense of normality for people and families."I've been advised that it's a facility that has appropriate recreation space where people will be able to live in relative isolation, and is also appropriate for people... [so] they can work from 'home', is what we're hoping," Clark said."So people can, as much is as possible in this unusual situation, get on with their lives."No one displaying symptoms will be allowed on the flight from Wuhan, which will be staffed by St John paramedics, an Air New Zealand doctor and volunteer Air New Zealand flight crew.This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionshows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Photo / via APDirector-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said there was a chance some of the passengers will have the coronavirus."We also know that the numbers of cases in mainland China, and particularly still in Wuhan and Hubei province, are increasing quite rapidly, so there's a greater risk they will have been exposed, so that's why we're ensuring they're isolated for the 14 days."He said the flight crew would have protective equipment, and will not need to be isolated afterwards.A resident nearby to the military camp, Andy Dunn, is relaxed about potentially sick people being quarantined in his neighbourhood."You've got to put these people somewhere, and you can't live life in the old 'not in my backyard'. I have every confidence in the authorities to control it."From today all foreign nationals tra...