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No new cases, but four earlier cases confirmed

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says there are no new cases to report, but New Zealand has added four cases to its confirmed cases.

Dr Bloomfield said the four newly confirmed cases were people who returned from the Greg Mortimer cruise ship on 13 April.

They had tested positive in Uruguay before they returned, and the government was unsure if they had been classified as confirmed by Uruguay. Dr Bloomfield said it was now clear they had not been, so were added to New Zealand's total.

All four cases had recovered, he said.

He said there were also no new deaths to report today. New Zealand's total number of cases was 1503. Confirmed cases was 1153 and there were 350 probable cases.

Another 9 people recovered from the virus, bringing the total of recovered cases to 1442, or 96 percent.

Two people with the virus remain in hospital, neither in ICU.

Dr Bloomfield said the use of masks on public transport was being evaluated, taking supply into account and whether masks could help relax seating arrangements in level 2.

The number of cases in the community and the low risk of community transmission would influence whether masks would be recommended, he said.

He said the opening session of the World Health Organisation Assembly included openings from world leaders, who spoke on the same theme about the need for global support for combating the spread of Covid-19.

Dr Bloomfield attended the Assembly - the annual meeting of the World Health Organisation's governing body in Geneva, held this year via video link - overnight as the head of New Zealand's delegation.

The WHO said an independent review of the global coronavirus response would begin promptly as it received backing and a hefty pledge of funds from China, in the spotlight as the origin of the pandemic.

World leaders and health ministers including New Zealand Minister of Health David Clark were attending the virtual meeting.

New Zealand has joined the European Union and countries including the UK and Australia in pushing for an inquiry into how the pandemic has been handled and what lessons can be learned.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $US2 billion over the next two years to help deal with Covid-19, especially in developing countries.

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