South Auckland kicked into gear on Sunday, ramping up testing and asking some to self-isolate after news of the three community COVID-19 cases in the area.
Papatoetoe High School is working with the Ministry of Health to track down contacts after one of its students tested positive and locals are doing their bit with queues to get swabbed for COVID-19 growing throughout the day.
The Papatoetoe High School student who tested positive is year nine and has only just started secondary school.
Papatoetoe High School Principal Vaughan Couillault says the family is still coming to terms with it all and the school is ready to offer them support.
"When they move out of that quarantine facility that they are in, that's when the baton gets handed to us and we will look after them."
The priority for Couillault today is making sure the school community stays informed.
"Priority for today is to make sure our staff students and families have all the right information, and to get information tracking back to the Ministry."
People down the road in Papatoetoe's town centre are also on high alert.
"Really worrying because lots of students come in after school," one McDonald's employee says.
Authorities are investigating the family's movements and a full list of locations the cases visited can be found here.
