COVID-19 cases

In a statement, the Health Ministry said there were now 31 cases associated with the current Auckland community outbreak.

"All cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility, under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE."

The ministry said the three in Wellington had recently travelled to Auckland and visited a location of interest there.

The 63 year-old woman from Rakiraki Village in Yale, Kadavu, was declared dead on arrival at the Vunisea Hospital on Tuesday.

If her death is found to have been caused by COVID, this will be the Eastern Division's first case of the virus.

The woman's death comes amid 781 new cases of the Delta variant reported in the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

The government also confirmed eight more deaths, taking the toll to 421.

That compares with 653 cases and eight deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

There are 10 cases in the community and almost 70 locations of interest in Auckland and Coromandel.

Shopping malls, bars and cinemas across Auckland have been added to the Ministry of Health list of locations of interest meaning potentially thousands of people are now considered contacts.

Last night, malls in Albany and New Lynn, and supermarkets in different parts of Auckland were added.

So far, the earliest potential exposure site dates back two weeks to 3 August.

The government also confirmed seven more deaths, taking the toll to 290.

Health secretary Dr James Fong said the patients had died between July 10th and August 5.

All but one of them were not vaccinated.

The four are now under the care of state health officials along with one person who may have been exposed to them.

All have been removed from the hotel in Honolulu.

The information was revealed at a press conference with Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and members of the Covid 19 Task Force, led by Lieutenant Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale.

Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua said those who tested positive were members of a family who had travelled from the mainland.

At the stroke of midnight, police vehicles joined the ends of queues at each border checkpoint to mark the midnight closure. Travellers were told earlier on Friday they would need to be in line before 11:59pm in order to make it home.

"At midnight, regardless of how long the queue is, we'll have a police car go to the end of that queue," Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said earlier.

"If you are there by midnight, regardless of whether you're actually processed, you're included as arriving prior to midnight."

Acting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan told Victorians the state would close its border to all of NSW from 2 January because of an increase in case numbers in NSW, where 10 new cases were confirmed on Thursday.

"Obviously this is going to cause some disruption for Victorians who may be holidaying, we do apologise for this disruption, however as I said, these difficult decisions are about protecting our community," she said.

"It is a decision based on the public health advice.

The ministry said the crew member had been retested and returned another positive result, so was now a confirmed case, but all of the tests for the person's 11 contacts had returned negative.

The person had seven close contacts and six casual contacts, the ministry said.

It said only 10 people were recorded as having signed in at Animates Manukau between 1.22pm and 2.11pm when the person had been there, after the ministry sent a push notification to them.

WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said France, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and Russia accounted for the majority of cases which increased by a third.

"The concern... is that intensive care units in hospitals are now beginning to fill with very ill people," she warned.

Russia reported a daily record of 320 deaths, pushing the tally to 26,589.

There has been a sharp increase in Italy too, with 221 fatalities announced in the past 24 hours. The total number of fatalities in Austria went above 1,000 on Tuesday.

Christelle Lehartel said the Diademe High School will close after classes today and remain shut until the All Saints holidays.

External students who are boarding will be allowed to stay.

38 students, who have Covid-19 symptoms, are awaiting tests.

As of yesterday there were more than 1300 active Covid-19 cases in French Polynesia, with more than 200 new infections being recorded every day.