By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

There are 22 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

In a statement, the ministry said there was also one new case at the border – from the United Kingdom. The cases arrived on 10 September via United Arab Emirates and is now in a quarantine facility in Auckland.

Three of the new cases are in Whakatīwai but are being counted in the Auckland total, the ministry said.

That brings the total number of community cases in the current outbreak to 1071. There are 1051 in Auckland (677 of whom have recovered) and 17 in Wellington (all of whom have recovered).

The ministry said 17 of today’s 22 new community cases have been epidemiologically linked. Five are yet to be linked.

“Of the five unlinked cases today; three are from one household; the other two are being interviewed.

“Of the 22 new cases today, 10 were already in quarantine when they were tested.”

In total, 1039 cases in the current cluster have been epidemiologically linked (12 unlinked from the past fortnight).

There are 10 epidemiologically linked subclusters. Of these, two are active, seven are contained and one is dormant.

The new one is associated to two households in South Auckland, the ministry said.

The ministry said there are also 10 epidemiologically unlinked subclusters. Of these, two are active, three are contained and five are dormant.

There are 16 cases in hospital today – One in North Shore, five in Auckland and 10 in Middlemore. Four are in ICU or HDU.

As of 10am this morning, there are 141 locations of interest.

There are 1289 active contacts being managed – 85 percent of them have received a call from contact tracers.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began is 3725.

There have also been a total of 151 out of 1908 historical cases since 1 January 2021.

In the last 24 hours, 8084 Covid-19 tests have been processed. The total number of tests to date is 3,240,635.

Update on the SO/Auckland Hotel MIQ worker

The ministry said after further investigation, including retesting, the positive Covid-19 test result returned by the SO Hotel MIQ facility worker last week has been determined to be a false positive.

“The individual has been notified and will be able to be released from the quarantine facility today.

“As a result, the net increase in community cases today is 21.”

Seven suburbs of interest

Testing in the seven suburbs is continuing with 946 tests taken yesterday across Mt Eden, Massey, Māngere, Favona, Papatoetoe, Ōtara and Manurewa, the ministry said.

“The Ministry has asked people in these areas, both with symptoms and without, to get tested to help rule out undetected community transmission. Today we are asking in particular for anyone living in Clover Park, on the south east side of Papatoetoe, to please get tested.”

The ministry said there has been a good community turn out for testing in Kaiaua this morning. By 11am today, 150 swabs had been taking. The Waikato DHB has reported wait times of about 30 minutes.

Wastewater testing

Following confirmation of the three cases in northern Hauraki, ESR is currently sampling from Kawakawa Bay and Pukekohe, the ministry said. Samples are being collected from three sites in the region.

“In addition, new samples are being collected from Cambridge, Ngatea, and Paeroa. Results are expected later in the week.”

Vaccine update

Yesterday, 26,673 Covid vaccines were administered – 14,145 were first doses and 12,528 were second doses. That brings the total number of vaccines administered to date to 4,711,410 – 3,092,737 are first doses and 1,618,673 are second doses.

Yesterday 24 cases of Covid-19 were reported by the ministry.

And last night three household members of a remand prisoner with Covid-19 tested positive for the virus in Waikato.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield will announce any alert level changes at 4pm from Parliament.

Today is Auckland’s 33rd day in lockdown since level 4 was declared at 11.59pm on 17 August.

By RNZ.co.nz

New Zealand Cricket are standing by their decision to send the Black Caps to, and remove them from, Pakistan.

A group of 34 players and staff arrived safely in Dubai on Sunday morning after leaving Islamabad late last night on a charter flight.

New Zealand Cricket cancelled the tour on Friday night, just before the start of the first one-dayer in Rawalpindi, citing a a “specific and credible” security threat.

Reports on Sunday suggested there had been a bomb threat to the team’s hotel and flights, but chief executive David White said he hadn’t had any information of that nature.

He did reveal they had received threats towards players via email “a few weeks ago” but said they were investigated and proven to be a “hoax and not credible”.

He added that while the situation had led some to question whether the Black Caps should have gone to Pakistan at all, he was comfortable with the original call.

“We went through thorough security checks and were ensured of the very high level of security that was to be provided.

“Also, there have been a number of teams who have toured there recently …

“We don’t regret the decision to tour there but it all changed on Friday when the [threat] increased significantly.”

The decision to withdraw had not gone down well in Pakistan.

As well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and government officials, fans in the cricket-mad country had been left angry and frustrated, with some questioning the credibility of the threat.

White said they wouldn’t be revealing any further details and it was his understanding specifics in these situations were never made public.

But he emphasised that they checked and double checked before making their decision.

“It came from the [New Zealand] government, who advised we had a specific, credible threat to the team.

“We were obviously very concerned with that and worked through that with the government on Friday, and also with our security providers in Pakistan.

“[They] also endorsed that information, as well as other independent agencies.”

The decision was being fully backed by the New Zealand Cricket Players Association.

After a long couple of days, the organisation’s chief executive Heath Mills said the group’s arrival in Dubai was a relief for everyone.

“Obviously for the players and their families it has been an anxious time, there’s no doubt about that.

“So for them to exit Pakistan late last night and arrive safely in Dubai has been great for everyone. We’re very pleased for that.”

The New Zealand contingent would now undergo a 24-hour period of self-isolation in a Dubai hotel.

Twenty-four of the group would return to New Zealand over the next week or so, as flights and MIQ rooms became available.

The rest of the touring party would remain in the UAE and join up with the Black Caps T20 World Cup squad, with the tournament starting on 17 October.

White said they still wanted to play the three ODIs and five T20s that had been scheduled in Pakistan, and hoped to work with the PCB in the coming weeks and months to find a solution.

He was hopeful the PCB would be open to moving forward, but acknowledged the frustration among many there.

“They’re a very passionate cricketing nation, I understand that.

“But on the advice we’d received from the government that we had a specific, credible threat to the safety of the team, players safety was paramount.

“We had no option but to abandon the tour.”

Meanwhile, the local Pakistan community believes New Zealand is sending the wrong message with the decision to abandon the tour.

Asim Mukhtar from the Pakistan Association of New Zealand, says the threat is exaggerated.

He says Pakistan has won accolades as a great tourism destination and he fears that reputation could be harmed.

Asim Mukhtar hopes the planned England tour will still go ahead.

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

There have been 24 new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today – the second daily increase in a row.

Photo: 123RF

The Health Ministry said 21 of today’s cases had a known connection with previous cases.

All of today’s cases were in the Auckland area and all of Wellington’s 17 cases have now recovered.

There have now been 1050 total cases associated with the current community outbreak.

There were 20 community cases yesterday, 19 were household or known contacts of other cases, and only one was unlinked, the ministry said.

Eleven and 13 cases were reported on the previous two days.

There are 13 people in hospital with the coronavirus, with four in ICU or HDU.

There were no new cases in managed isolation today.

There has been a total of 3704 cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand since the pandemic started.

Mt Eden case

Speaking at today’s government briefing, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said a prisoner on remand at Mt Eden prison had now tested positive for Covid-19.

The person came from Thames, and was travelling with another person. Two locations of interest have been added to the ministry’s location of interest website.

Dr McElnay said four police staff were now isolating due to contact with this case. Five corrections staff and six prisoners are also isolating.

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay are giving a live Covid-19 update from the Beehive.

Watch it live here:

Yesterday the Ministry of Health reported 20 new community cases of the virus, all in Auckland.

The figure was a spike after several days of lower numbers, with 11 cases reported on Friday and 13 on Thursday.

At the time all but one of the 20 new cases had been traced and linked to known contacts.

Auckland police yesterday complained about lots of people out and about on the roads and at beaches, despite level 4 rules in place for the region that allow only essential travel.

They called for everyone to keep to the rules until the outbreak is contained and lockdown restrictions are eased.

A couple from Auckland were arrested when they were caught in Taupō, after police said they used false documents to cross the border. A group of people from Othāhuhu were caught fishing together in Mission Bay and given infringement notices.

Health Minister Andrew Little called for people throughout the country to get vaccinated, to raise the herd immunity level, which he said could be enough of a safety measure that alert level 4 may not be needed again.

By JADE KNOWLES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

A teenager who married a 61-year-old father-of-two has opened up about her parents’ horrified reaction to her age-gap romance – revealing that they called the police to have her husband arrested when they first learned about her relationship.

Military police officer Audrey Cheyenne-Smiley Moon, 19, first met husband Kevin, 61, on dating site Badoo, on January 9, 2020 – and the pair quickly bonded, despite their 42-year age gap.

The teenager says she was first attracted to him because of his military background – noticing in his bio that he was a veteran who had worked for the military police, just like she does now.

‘I was both excited and nervous to see him,’ Audrey recalled. ‘He still talks about the day he laid his eyes on me with such passion.

‘Kevin made the first move. He took my face in his hands and we had our first kiss when we first met face to face.

‘We can both agree truly that it was love at first sight.’

Neither Audrey nor Kevin had been in a relationship with such a big age gap before but believe it doesn’t matter as they have lots in common and a deep connection.

‘Our first conversation was about the military and he asked questions about me and we became very open to each other,’ Audrey said. ‘We talked about everything together.

‘Kevin also looks very handsome to me.

‘What makes our relationship so great and perfect for us is our ever-growing love for each other.’

Before meeting Audrey, Cemex dispatcher Kevin was married for 19 years and has two children, aged 16 and 23.

His kids are supportive of the relationship and pleased to see how happy the pair are.

Because Kevin is older than both Audrey’s parents, who are 38 and 43, she initially kept their relationship a secret from her family – but made the decision to tell them in August last year.

Audrey said: ‘We were open about our relationship to our co-workers but it was a secret from my family at first.

‘I couldn’t handle the stress of keeping it a secret from my family so we agreed that he would come down to meet them.

‘My family was extremely hostile about meeting him at first because we told them about us in a bad way.

‘I texted them while I was away with him and we came back to my parent’s house to my entire family and the cops waiting outside.

‘It was scary at first but Kevin was ready to stand for what he believed in and now after getting to know him, my family has really grown to like him.

‘For three days, they yelled at him every time he came to see me and did everything they could to tell him how terrible he is for loving me.

‘He took it and since then has proven to them how much he truly and deeply loves me.

‘We haven’t heard any negative comments from strangers yet, but we have gotten looks but we normally don’t mind them. We focus on ourselves.’

On August 1, 2021, the couple eloped and got married in a small chapel in Nevada.

Now, they are planning for their future together.

Audrey said: ‘Most of the time we talk about getting our dream home, having a baby, and living our lives happily.

‘He wants to be a stay-at-home dad and watch our baby while I am at work and he can pursue his woodworking hobby.

‘He wants to cook and clean for me until I come home. Then we spend time as a family.

‘We want to travel in an RV. We want to get our favorite breed of dogs. Mine is a Staffordshire American terrier pit bull. He wants a Saint Bernard.

‘We just want to be together and never separate again. We are eager to have our baby – it is just finding the right time.

‘Our lives make it difficult for dreams like that but we know in time we will live our dream.’

Although they are now married, they are still living apart as Audrey is working abroad in the Middle East and Kevin is at home in California. They plan to move in together once Kevin retires next year.

Audrey said: ‘What makes our relationship work even thousands of miles away from each other is our constant communication.

‘We are always very affectionate towards each other and when times get hard, we try to focus on what we are fighting for. We talk about the future we can have together when our time apart is no longer.

‘I still look at him with eyes filled with pure love and joy and he looks at me the same way. Sometimes we get so happy we start to cry.

‘I love how passionate and patient he is. He is also a very giving person and very kind. He has such a pure and loving soul.

‘People my age are very inconsiderate and selfish. Kevin is the complete opposite.

‘He is very understanding and only wants to do things for me.

‘They focus on social media and gaining followers.

‘People will do anything nowadays to get a like. Me and Kevin aren’t like that. We are very kind-hearted selfless people and love to help each other and the people around us before we help ourselves.’

Audrey, who describes herself as an old soul, added: ‘I did not think I would meet the man of my dreams who is also my best friend and love of my life.

‘He is my soul mate and that is something worth fighting for. Love is endless and indescribable.

‘Kevin and I want to show the world that we aren’t the stereotypical sugar daddy or gold digger relationship.

‘We truly love each other because of who we are and what we do for each other.’

Kevin said: ‘When I first saw her profile, I thought she was a cute girl but wasn’t looking for a young girl, just a friend to talk with.

‘I was actually looking around my area and ages 30 to 50. Her profile shouldn’t have popped up. Something told me to look at it and something told me to like it, so I did.

‘I found a new best friend and fell in love with my best friend.’

By Sam Olley, Reporter

A Tāmaki Makaurau businessman is gathering support for a no-vax, no-entry policy at bars, cafés and restaurants.

Sam Ansley, the owner of Shaky Isles Coffee and the bars Everybody’s and Roxy, plans to request proof of a Covid-19 vaccination card upon entry at his businesses in a month’s time.

He told RNZ he had talked the idea over with around 30 other Auckland hospitality operators, mostly from larger venues in the city, and about 75 percent were keen to do the same.

Ansley expected to lose customers when lockdown lifts, but also gain others who want to feel safer.

“Every choice someone makes has a negative or a positive consequence. And if you choose to not get vaccinated, then potentially what you’re going to do is reduce the number of options you’ve got to have a really damn good time.”

He hopes the door checks will help boost vaccination rates and reduce “incredibly damaging lockdowns”.

“We are an industry that is used to checking people at entrances. We are an industry that is able to check for IDs and we are an industry now that has to have Covid-app tracing scans at our entrances.

“We are an industry that can refuse entry to people if they are intoxicated, or if they’re underage, or not dressed in quite the right way. We are an industry that is used to having restrictions placed on people’s ability to get in.”

Ansley also hoped the government will take note.

“If we can help and get our voices heard around that government table, which I think business really struggles with at the moment, then that’s a good thing too.”

Ansley began to settle on the policy two weeks ago, when he felt the vaccination rollout was hitting “a tipping point”.

“It doesn’t benefit anti-vaxxers, and you know what? I’m kind of okay with that,” he said.

“We can ideally top the world with vaccinations, that should be our objective.”

The 40-year-old mother charged with the murder of her three daughters in Timaru on Thursday night has been remanded for a psychiatric assessment.

Lauren Dickason, 40, a medical practitioner appeared before Judge Dominic Dravitzki in the Timaru District Court at 10am on Saturday, Stuff reported.

“Escorted by two police officers, Dickason arrived in court dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and black trousers. Dickason looked calm and kept her arms folded close to her chest. She stared at the floor for much of her appearance”, it said.

The accused didn’t enter a plea during her appearance. She is to appear in court again on 5 October.

There was no application for bail and she faces three charges of murder. An application for name suppression was withdrawn during the hearing.

The family had recently completed MIQ after arriving from South Africa and had settled in the South Island town.

Graham Dickason, an orthopedic surgeon, found his children dead when he returned to their Queen St home.

He had recently started working for the South Canterbury District Health Board.

RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The woman charged with the murder of her three daughters in their Timaru home on Thursday night has appeared in court this morning.

The three victims were 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla, and their 6-year-old sister Liane. Their bodies were found in Queen Street in Parkside just after 10pm on Thursday.

TVNZ reported that 40-year-old Lauren Anne Dickason, who is yet to register a plea, stood quietly in the dock at the Timaru District Court with her arms wrapped around herself, often looking at the floor.

No members of the public or support people were permitted in the courtroom for the brief first appearance due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Judge Dominic Dravitski remandered Dickason to Hillmorton Hospital in Christchurch for a mental health assessment under section 38 and will next appear in the High Court in Timaru on 5 October.

Police earlier said the family had only left MIQ a week ago after arriving in the country from South Africa.

Members of the South African community have left flowers and a soft toy near the home, some with messages in support.

In a statement last night, police said the tragic incident was isolated and they were not seeking anyone else.

They said a scene examination would continue at the Queen Street address today.

The South Canterbury DHB said the tragedy had affected many staff and it was focusing on providing full support for them.

Dickason and her husband Graham are both doctors recently arrived from South Africa and were living in a DHB home near Timaru Hospital.

DHB chief executive Jason Power is thanking everyone who has offered support and kind messages, including colleagues from other DHBs.

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 has jumped after several days of falling numbers, with 20 new cases reported in Auckland today.

Photo: 123rf.com

There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Ministry said 19 of these are household or known contacts and only one of these remains unlinked.

“Interviews are underway with that person to determine how they are linked to the current outbreak.”

There are now seven unlinked cases from the past 14 days.

The number of new cases has been slowly falling for the past few days, with 11 new cases reported yesterday and 13 on Thursday.

The Ministry said it was expecting some fluctuations in case numbers at this point in the outbreak.

There has now been a total of 1027 cases linked to the current outbreak, with 625 of Auckland’s 1010 cases now considered to have recovered, while all but one of Wellington’s 17 cases has now recovered.

Ten people are in hospital with the coronavirus, with three in ICU or HDU.

There were also two new confirmed cases and two historical cases in managed isolation.

The Ministry said testing at high levels in Auckland remained an essential part of the outbreak response and it was continuing to urge anyone in Auckland with cold or flu symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested.

It said 12,427 tests were taken yesterday, including more than 7000 swabs taken in the Auckland region.

“We have also had over 1,000 saliva tests since Monday with the majority in the last 48 hours. Over 400 employers will be instigating saliva testing for almost 4500 employees across New Zealand.”