Today there are no new cases of Covid-19 today.

It has now been 85 days since there was community transmission in New Zealand.

The total number of confirmed cases remains at 1206, which is the number officials report to the World Health Organization.

Yesterday New Zealand laboratories completed 2,307 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 453,923.

“Testing remains an important part of our overall strategy to detect any community cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

We all have a part to play and we’re encouraging anyone who is offered a swab, to take up that offer,” health officials said today.

Yesterday’s case

Yesterday there was one new case of Covid-19.

The man in his 40s arrived in the country on Sunday, July 12 from Africa.

Regional Public Health were interviewing him further about his travel history.

The man was staying at the Sebel Manukau and tested negative on around day three of his stay. He then tested positive on around day 12 and was being transferred to a quarantine facility in Auckland, the Ministry of Health said.

“This case reinforces why we test people twice during their time in managed isolation,” the ministry said in a statement.

“A second test around day 12 is needed because the infection may take longer to develop in some people. It’s an important check used to find out if a person is safe to leave managed isolation.”

Today, Minister Megan Woods and Air Commodore Darryn Webb fronted media after a family of five escaped managed isolation in Hamilton yesterday.

The mum and four children escaped from the Distinction Hamilton hotel last night and had earlier applied to attend a relative’s funeral in Auckland this afternoon. They had arrived in New Zealand from Australia on July 21.

They escaped by allegedly breaking a window off its latches and climbing a six-foot security fence.

The family comprised of a mother and four children aged 12, 16, 17, and 18 years old.

The group had applied for compassionate leave but it was declined. An updated application was “looking positive”, Webb said.

“While we can understand their grief we can not let one tragedy to turn into a tragedy of hundreds,” Woods said.

“These people broke the rules,” she said.

Webb said the family was told their application was “looking positive” last night and that a decision would be made by 8pm.

Webb confirmed the family would have been given an exemption to go and view the body of the deceased relative, and then would be taken back to isolation.

At 6:58pm yesterday, before the final decision had been made, people were seen climbing over the perimeter fence of the Distinction Hotel.

An NZDF staffer and a police officer gave chase.

Four members of the family were apprehended by police in a nearby park. The fifth, a 17-year-old, made it all the way to Auckland before being detained. Four members of the family are facing charges of breaching a Health Act notice.

Webb said the funeral of the deceased family member is continuing this afternoon.

The 17-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Auckland.

The family living in the residence where the 17-year-old was apprehended have been asked to not attend the funeral too.