NZ logs 5 new Covid cases as Auckland enters lockdown

Wellington, Feb 15 (IANS) New Zealand recorded five new Covid cases in managed isolation as Auckland entered Alert Level 3 on Monday.There are no new cases in the community following the three community cases announced on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health, Xinhua reported.The five new cases in managed isolation, including one historical, came from the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, the ministry said in a statement.Investigations will continue on Monday into the three community cases, including further interviews. The priority is for close contacts and casual plus contacts to be tested so the government can understand any risk in the community, it said.Contact tracing has identified 10 close contacts outside the household. Six of these close contacts have returned a negative test and four results are pending, it said.Auckland is now at Alert Level 3 until midnight Wednesday, and the rest of New Zealand is at Alert
Level 2.Six previously reported cases have now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 47, and the total number of confirmed cases is 1,980, the ministry added.
--IANS int/