Coronavirus: Students at Auckland's Marist School Mt Albert test positive

The cases are linked to the cluster at nearby Marist College.
The cases are linked to the cluster at nearby Marist College. Photo credit: Getty

Students at Mt Albert's Marist School - a catholic primary - have tested positive for COVID-19.

In an email sent to parents seen by NZME, principal Carolyn Phillips said all students who had tested positive were either asymptomatic or only had mild symptoms.

"We wish them and their families a quick recovery," Phillips said.

She said in the email the cases were linked to the cluster at nearby Marist College. That cluster is the biggest in the country with 59 confirmed cases.

"The Marist School students most likely contracted the virus from another family member during last week," Phillips said, as reported by NZME.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health recorded 49 new and 22 probable cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in New Zealand, taking the country's total to 868.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said during the past week, an average of just over 2000 tests had been undertaken each day.

Dr Bloomfield also addressed how transmission occurs and said that people can be contagious for between one and three days before they develop symptoms. People can still only contract the disease through infectious droplets or contaminated surfaces, he said.