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New Zealand reports 13 new COVID-19 cases

The case from the managed isolation is a child returning New Zealand from Afghanistan via Dubai on August 3.

New Zealand reports 13 new COVID-19 cases

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Photo: IANS)

New Zealand has reported 13 fresh novel coronavirus cases on Sunday, including 12 from the Auckland cluster, according to the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

The 13 new cases brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Zealand to 1,271.

The case from the managed isolation is a child returning New Zealand from Afghanistan via Dubai on August 3.

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The public were urged by Health Minister Chris Hipkins to take tests only when they were symptomatic to avoid delays.

Hipkins also urged the public to be cautious about rumours and misinformation on the social media as one particular rumor was shared widely overnight in the community, causing online bully and damage to the family involved.

People were also encouraged to download official COVID-19 contact tracing app.

On Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a 12-day extension of the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, after a cluster of cases in Auckland city increased to 29 amid the second and stronger wave of the pandemic.

New cases started resurfacing this week after a gap of 102 days.

New Zealand went to a month-long national Alert Level 4 lockdown in late March, and declared an early success of the coronavirus battle in June.

Before Tuesday, New Zealand went 102 days without recording a locally transmitted case of coronavirus, one of the few countries to reach such a milestone.

New Zealand has reported a total of 22 deaths so far.

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