Saturday night socialisers asked to isolate

A Dunedin resident who has tested positive for Covid-19 spent Waitangi weekend in Queenstown, travelling through Cromwell en route.

The Southern District Health Board has confirmed the individual was infectious at the time of the trip, and new locations of interest in both towns have been added to the Ministry of Health’s list.

Four popular Queenstown bars are among the spots visited by the Covid-positive case, and those who visited at the same time on Saturday night and Sunday morning are considered close contacts and are asked to get tested and isolate immediately.

They are The Sundeck Rooftop Bar Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, between 9pm and 10pm; The Ballarat Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, between 10pm and Sunday, February 6, 12am; World Bar & Restaurant Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, between 12am and 1.30am; and Habana Boutique Rum Bar Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, between 2.30am and 4am.

Saturday night socialisers at four Queenstown bars are being asked to isolate and be tested immediately.

Also considered a close contact: Anyone at the NZONE Skydiving office, 35 Shotover Street, on Saturday, February 5, between 12.30pm and 1.45pm.

Anyone at these nightspots or the skydive office at these times is asked to record their visit online or call Healthline, so contact tracers can get in touch.

The Dunedin holidaymaker also made a pitstop at the BP petrol station in Cromwell, and anyone there on Saturday, February 5, between 12.15 and 12.30pm is being asked to self-monitor for Covid symptoms.

The Queenstown locations join a growing list of locations of interest in the town, including the gondola, the airport, My Thai Lounge restaurant and Jervois Steak House restaurant.

The SDHB is asking people in Cromwell, Queenstown and Wānaka to continue to check the Ministry of Health’s locations of interest list regularly for updates.

And, if anyone has cold or flu like symptoms, no matter how mild, they should get tested for Covid-19 and isolate at home until a negative test result is returned, a spokesperson says.

The most common early symptoms of the Omicron variant is a sore or scratchy throat, and a runny nose.

"If you have these symptoms, please get tested as soon as possible."

The Dunedin case is currently isolating at home and at this stage the Covid-19 variant has not been confirmed. This will be confirmed once genome sequencing is completed. 

This case will be counted in today’s Ministry of Health case numbers, as will the two cases confirmed Thursday in Queenstown.

Investigation into the source of all three cases is ongoing.

See Crux coverage of Thursday’s confirmed Covid-19 cases in Queenstown here.

Testing locations in Queenstown

Testing is available throughout the Southern district. Get tested if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, even if they are mild, or if you have been at a location of interest. Stay home or at your accommodation until you return a negative Covid-19 test result, and you are symptom-free.

Covid-19 testing in free.

In the Queenstown area testing is available at Queenstown Medical Centre, 9 Isle St. People should call 03 441 0500, then choose option 6 to book a test.

Drive through and walk-in testing is also available at two sites in Frankton. Engage Safety Covid-19 Testing Centre, 18 Glenda Avenue, Frankton, is a drive through/walk in set-up, with no appointment required, open 9am to 7pm; and Te Kāika Testing Centre, Pin Oak Ave, Frankton is another drive through/walk in set-up, with no appointment required, open 11am to 6pm.