Around 3485 workers at ports around New Zealand have been tested for COVID-19 to date, health minister Chris Hipkins says.
This includes Ports of Auckland, Port of Tauranga and eight other ports around the country.
Speaking at the COVID-19 breifing on Tuesday (August 18), Hipkins says “record levels” of testing is taking place with more than 100,000 tests over the last five days.
Hipkins says testing has also “ramped up” at facilities including airports and testing of “all government agency frontline staff at the Auckland border”.
At Ports of Auckland, Hipkins says testing is being done on more than 5000 workers from 800 different organisations that have accessed the port since July 21. Since 6pm Monday, 2194 of these tests had been done.
“A dedicated testing team is working extended hours to make sure workers all have access to COVID-19 testing and those who are working the night shift and twilight shift,” Hipkins says.
At the Port of Tauranga, around 6000 workers will need testing and since 9:30am Tuesday, 95 of these workers considered “high priority” had been tested alongside others, Hipkins says.
At Auckland Airport, a total of 2407 tests have been carried out of around 4474 workers.
