Contact tracing is underway for people on a domestic flight which included a person travelling from New Zealand to South Korea who has tested positive for Covid-19, Minister of Health Chris Hipkins says.
According to the Ministry of Health, the individual left New Zealand six days ago on July 21 and arrived in South Korea on July 22 after transiting through Singapore.
The traveller had no symptoms but returned a positive test on arrival.
South Korean authorities informed the Ministry of Health that based on their initial investigations, they suspect the traveller was infected during the transit in Singapore airport.
However other causes, including infection in New Zealand, can’t be ruled out at this stage, the Ministry says.
Due to this, Mr Hipkins says contact tracing has begun on a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch the individual took before flying on to South Korea.
“We have got our contact tracing system kicking into gear, we'll contact trace everybody who was on the domestic flight that the person concerned took between Auckland and Christchurch and we'll do all the relevant contact tracing at the border.
"We’re working with South Korea to obtain the information we need to do other contact tracing in New Zealand, simply as a precaution.”
Mr Hipkins also said a second test has been requested on the person as, “there has been at least one other incident in the past that I’m aware of where somebody returning to another country tested positive and then on second test proved to be a negative test”.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also said the individual in question did spend several months in the US until mid-March, before returning to New Zealand.
“We have had cases where people have had Covid in the past and still shown signs of that sometime thereafter," she said.
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