Kia Orana
Te Marae Ora (TMO) wishes to provide the following update:
The Cook Islands remains COVID-19 free.
The two Air New Zealand flights that arrived this afternoon were not carrying passengers.
These planes will return to New Zealand with approximately 420 passengers.
A Ministerial order that requires flights to the Pa Enua to be cargo only flights, with returning flights able to transport passengers and cargo to Rarotonga remains in place.
This same Ministerial Order (which expires at 11.59 on Monday 23rd August) requires all indoor or outdoor events and social gatherings, whether in a private or public setting to be restricted to a maximum of 100 people. For larger events (over 100 people) an exemption must be obtained from the Secretary of Health. All events at which 10-100 people will be in attendance must be registered with Te Marae Ora.
Four testing locations were again operating on Rarotonga and one on Aitutaki today, between 7am and 4pm today.
Just one testing location will be operating tomorrow. The testing location at Constitution Park will be in operation between 9am and 1pm. Please remember, if you get tested you are required to self-isolate until you get a negative test result.
As at 5pm this evening, a total of 1644 people have been swabbed over the last four days, and 1613 swabs had been processed, all returning negative results.
In line with New Zealand extending the dates around Locations of Interest (2-16 August CKT), any passengers who arrived in the Cook Islands between 2-16 August 2021, have visited a location of interest (locations of interest on the Ministry of Health website ) or have COVID-19 like symptoms are asked to contact the Te Marae Ora Contact Tracing Lines as soon as possible if they have not already done so.
These numbers are: 57481, 57482, 57486, 56199 – and 29 664 and 29 110 extn 717.
We do want to hear from you and appreciate your patience if your call doesn’t get answered straight away.
ENDS: For more information, please visit www.health,gov.ck or contact Jaewynn McKay; jaewynn.mckay@cookislands.gov.ck +682 55486