At least 400 people could have been exposed to the coronavirus after attending services and a wedding at an Auckland church. It comes as a further seven cases were reported in New Zealand on Thursday
On Wednesday, health officials announced five known COVID-19 cases had been linked to Mount Roskill Evangelical Fellowship. That number has since grown to eight.Credit:Anyone who attended services at the Stoddard Rd church on August 8, 9 and 11, or went to a wedding held at the church on August 7, has been asked to stay at home and get tested.Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said there were at least 400 people at the wedding and at least 200 at each church service.
Testing has since confirmed three cases are epidemiologically linked to the Auckland cluster – and health officials expect all the cases will link.McElnay said it was unlikely the church cases were a source for the current outbreak. The source remains a mystery. A nurse completes a COVID-19 test at the Mangere Town Centre testing centre in South Auckland on Tuesday.However, she said it is believed someone from the main cluster attended an event at the church.“ARPHS is grateful for the help of the church, who are providing their full support to the service’s efforts to identity those who attended [the events],” a spokesperson said.
The outbreak prompted the Government to put the Auckland region into level three lockdown, while the rest of the country moved to alert level two.
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