No locations of 'interest of significance” have been identified in Hamilton City.

This comes following a positive Covid-19 case in the Hamilton east area.

SunLive approached the Ministry of Health on Tuesday to see what the latest situation was with the locations of interest in Hamilton, after being contacted by members of the public who were wondering why there weren't any on the Ministry of Heath website.

Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay addressed this at the 1pm standup yesterday.

'Waikato DHB has not identified any locations of interest of significance in Hamilton City at this stage.

'All potential exposure events have been direct interactions between individuals and they have been followed up with directly.”

As Waikato [public health staff] continue to undertake investigations with the new cases reported, McElnay says there may be additional locations of interest and they will be added to the Ministry of Health's website as they come through.

'The [Waikato] DHB has informed us that indications, so far, are that prior to receiving positive tests, the households affected had been following guidance on mask wearing and social distancing.”

In a statement sent to SunLive, a Ministry of Health spokesperson expanded further on the contact tracing process.

They say the focus of publishing locations of interest is on locations where contact tracers don't have a good idea of who was there at the relevant time, like bars and supermarkets.

"However, for some locations of interest, like some schools and events, we do have a good understanding of who was there at the relevant time and an effective means of contacting those people via existing communication channels and networks.

'These situations are closely managed by contact tracers, who may determine that the location does not need to be added to the list published online.

'Additionally, some locations of interest may be publicised while they are under investigation. We need to be sure we have all the correct information before a location of interest is published on our website, and this can take time to confirm.”

The MOH says locations of interest are added to the Ministry's website as quickly as possible.

"We do ask people to check these regularly.

'Contact tracers are often dealing with people that are stressed and some people can find it difficult to recall where they've been, when they are under pressure.

'New Zealand's contact tracers are working tirelessly and at pace. We would like to acknowledge their incredible mahi, and thank everyone who has cooperated with contact tracers. You are doing your bit for New Zealand's fight against Covid-19.”