One cases of COVID-19 has been detected at New Zealand's border in the last 24 hours, the Director-General of Health has revealed.
The new case is the child of two previously confirmed coronavirus cases. The family arrived in New Zealand from Italy on July 4, and are in quarantine at the Commodore Hotel in Christchurch.
"I just want to pause to wish the family a full and speedy recovery," Dr Ashley Bloomfield said.
"And likewise to all our people who have COVID-19 infection at the moment - we shouldn't forget they're Kiwis and they've got this disease. We do want them to recover well and fully, and for them to know our thoughts and best wishes are with them."
One previously reported case is now considered to have recovered, so the number of active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand remains at 27, while the total number of confirmed cases has increased one to 1198.
There is still no evidence of community transmission, with the last case of COVID-19 acquired locally from an unknown source detected 76 days ago.
No one is receiving treatment for coronavirus in hospital.
In the last 24 hours, 2899 tests were completed - 726 of which were at managed isolation or quarantine facilities - bringing the total number of tests undertaken in New Zealand to 436,233.
In a daily press briefing from Parliament, Dr Bloomfield used the opportunity to address concern on social media about charges for COVID-19 tests.
"We want to reiterate that there is no cost for an individual to be tested," Dr Bloomfield explained.
"The Ministry of Health has negotiated an agreement with DHBs covering the costs of the diagnostic tests. Anyone wanting advice on where to go to be tested, other than their own GP practice, can contact Healthline or their DHB."
He also urged Kiwis to download the NZ COVID Tracer app, something the Government has been driving home a lot over the last week as global case numbers soar above 13 million.
"It's important we all recognise there is an ongoing risk of a resurgence of COVID-19 and we can't afford to be complacent," a Ministry of Health Statement read.
"The number of QR codes on display has been continuing to increase steadily - there are now 78,810 that have been created - but there are a still a number of businesses and public-facing organisations that haven’t yet got on board.
"We know that a lot of businesses tried getting their QR codes in May but found the process overly complicated. It's important for all businesses to know the process is now much easier - it only takes a few minutes and all you need is your driver's licence."
