The Ministry of Health has issued the following statement:

Two new cases of COVID-19 in Wellington have been confirmed today.

The two cases are linked to recent travel to the Bay of Plenty and a number of locations of interest in Wellington related to the two cases will be published today and tomorrow – including a possible link by one case to a Drum & Bass festival on 3 January at Wharepai Domain, Tauranga.

Anyone who was in Tauranga for the festival is advised to get tested as soon as possible and isolate at home until they receive a negative result. The case is judged not likely to be in their infectious period while at the Festival, but we are asking attendees to be tested out of an abundance of caution. This precautionary approach is being taken due to the large number of people in attendance. We note that the festival was held in accordance with the rules for outdoor events under the COVID Protection Framework including the use of vaccine passes for entry.

One of today’s Wellington cases was staying in a large household in the Bay of Plenty while there, and testing of their close contacts is being coordinated today.

A full update on other cases around the country will be provided at the Ministry’s next update at 1pm on Sunday.

This statement is also available on the Ministry of Health website here.

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