There are seven new imported cases of coronavirus in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has revealed - all but one of which are members of the Pakistan cricket team.
Each of the new cases were detected in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities, with none coming as a result of community transmission.
The solitary case not linked to the cricket team arrived in the country on November 23, and tested positive during routine day three testing.
The new infections reported on Friday take the total of active cases in New Zealand to 66 - 63 of which are in MIQ, and the remaining three in the community.
The combined total of confirmed and probable cases now stands at 2047.
New Zealand's laboratories completed another 7454 tests on Thursday, taking the total number of tests processed to date to 1,260,055.
Pakistan cricket team update
The Ministry of Health says the Pakistan cricket team will undergo day three testing, after which players who test negative will be given an exemption to train while in MIQ if a medical officer of health determines they are unlikely to spread COVID-19.
All six new cases have been interviewed and close contacts - including other people on the same flight - are in the process of being contacted.
"Investigations will continue today. Any of the team identified as a close contact would not meet the requirements for the exemption as there is a risk that they could transmit COVID-19 to fellow team mates," a statement reads.
"The Pakistan cricket team members that arrived in New Zealand met the agreed pre-departure requirements for travel, including multiple PCR tests and symptom checks.
"Exemptions allowing people to train while in managed isolation are very difficult to obtain and any team that receives such an exemption is in a privileged position."
The ministry also confirmed details of the team's breaches while in MIQ, which include "leaving rooms without masks, mingling and chatting in hallways, and passing items".
However after a final warning was issued on Thursday, "compliance with MIQ rules in the facility has significantly improved", the ministry says.
"We thank members of the team for their cooperation with the case investigations following the announcement of positive cases within the team. Cooperation and compliance are critical in ensuring New Zealand is kept safe from COVID-19."
Air New Zealand case update
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) is continuing its investigation into locations of interest the Air New Zealand staffer visited before a flight to Shanghai, where she later tested positive for coronavirus.
ARPHS is also looking into the person's close close contacts. To date, 17 close contacts of the person have been identified, 11 of which have returned negative results. The remaining six are still waiting for their tests to be processed.
"The Ministry of Health has sent out six push notifications through the NZ COVID Tracer app for locations of interest that were visited by the Air New Zealand worker," a statement reads.
"As at 10am today, 106 app users have received contact alerts from these notifications."
