Covid death
toll climbs
Wairarapa’s covid-19 death toll has climbed to 47, with the Ministry of Health reporting another virus-related death in the region in the last week. A further 202 new cases were recorded in Wairarapa, and two people were in Wairarapa Hospital with the virus yesterday. Nationally, there were 19,215 new cases reported last week, and 333 people in hospital. There were also 57 covid-related deaths, with one of the deceased aged under 10 years old. Another person was between 10 and 19 years old. Two people who died were in their 30s, three were in their 40s, seven were in their 50s, and six were in their 60s. A further 14 people who died were in their 70s, 16 were in their 80s, and seven were aged over 90. Of the people who died, 27 were women, and 30 were men.
Busted mains
A burst water main disrupted Martinborough traffic and residents on Saturday morning, with contractors forced to turn off the water supply for several hours. Maintenance crews were dispatched to fix the pipe, which ran via Princess St, and from New York to Huangarua streets. The repair, which was initially expected to take four to five hours, was completed by 12.30pm. Traffic along the route was reduced to one lane while the repair was underway.
Colombo Rd
scrub fire
An out-of-control scrub fire in Masterton saw two fire trucks dispatched late on Sunday afternoon. Masterton Fire Brigade responded to reports of a vegetation fire on Colombo Rd shortly after 5pm. Fire and Emergency said the blaze took an hour to extinguish completely. However, no structures were believed to be threatened while the fire was brought under control.
Roads reopen
Several roads in South Wairarapa that were blocked following last week’s heavy rain have now reopened. South Wairarapa District Council announced that Tora, White Rock, Kaiwaka, Cape River, and Pahaoa roads were open to all vehicles yesterday afternoon. However, it advised caution to motorists. “Please take extreme care given the unpredictable nature of the environment and be aware that more rain is forecast for the long weekend.”
