More Covid-19 close contacts in the Southern Lakes

The number of Covid-19 locations of interest in Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell continues to grow. 

The Ministry of Health has added more than half-a-dozen new sites across the towns to its list of hotspots.

They join a string of southern businesses and locations already on the list, including bars, the gondola, Queenstown Airport and several restaurants.

A popular Queenstown bar and a flight from Queenstown to Auckland have been added as potential close contact exposure events.

Anyone at these places at the times listed are being asked to immediately isolate and be tested.

They are: Ballarat Bar, Queenstown, Thursday, February 3, between 7.55pm and 11pm and again Saturday, February 5, between 7pm and 8.30pm; and flight NZ628 from Queenstown to Auckland, Sunday, February 6, between 8.30pm and 10.10pm.

Also new on the list, but not deemed close-contact events, are: Armando's Kitchen Italian Café and Restaurant, Cromwell, Saturday, February 5, between 12.24pm and 1pm; Cromwell Family Practice, Saturday, February 5, between 12.15pm and 1.15pm; Super Liquor Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, between 1pm and 1.15pm; Cardrona Hotel, Wanaka, Saturday, February 5, between 5.18pm and 5.50 pm; Scroggin Coffee and Eatery Wanaka, Sunday, February 6, between 10.40am and 11.10am; The Bunker Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, between 1.30am and 2.30am; and Queenstown Airport, Sunday, February 6, between 7.13pm and 8.30pm.

Visitors to these spots at these times are asked to monitor themselves for Covid symptoms for ten days after exposure.

The Southern District Health Board has now confirmed three positive Covid-19 cases in the south – one in Dunedin and two in Queenstown.

They are the first new community cases in the SDHB area since April 17, 2020.

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."

All three cases are isolating at home and at this stage the Covid-19 variant has not been confirmed. This will be confirmed once genome sequencing is completed. 

Were you out on the town in Queenstown on Saturday night? Read Crux coverage of locations of interest here.

Main image: Armando's Kitchen Italian Café and Restaurant joins the BP petrol station on the Ministry of Health's list of Covid-19 locations of interest in Cromwell.

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