An additional 48 people who arrived in New Zealand from Melbourne must be tested for Covid-19 following a data reconcilliation today, according to health officials.
"A data reconciliation has identified an additional 48 people in New Zealand who are required to isolate and be tested, having arrived as part of a cohort of 177 people in addition to the 4532 earlier identified by the ministry," the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
"The total number of travellers who arrived in New Zealand from Melbourne from May 20-25 has therefore increased to 4749."
All travellers who are currently in New Zealand who have been in the Greater Melbourne Region since May 20 are required to isolate and be tested and to remain in isolation until a negative test result is returned.
All of the original cohort of 4532 have since been contacted, advised to get a test and isolate until they receive a negative result.
The vast majority of arrivals from May 20-25 have now either been tested or are not required to be tested, the ministry said.
Of the cohort of 177 people, 129 have already returned to Australia. Forty-one of the remainder have been called, advised to get a test and isolate, and contact tracers are today attempting to contact the remaining seven people.
The additional people were identified after a recount to confirm all quarantine-free travel flights that had arrived between May 20-25 had been included in the testing and isolation requirements.
Of the 4749 travellers, just under 90 per cent have either already been tested or are exempt from testing, including 2733 who have returned a negative test result; 213 who are exempt from testing because they are under the age of 12; 1292 who require no further action as they have returned to Australia; and 511 who have no test result at this stage.
Of the 370 crew members, 231 have returned a negative test result and 139 have no result as yet.
Arrivals who have no result who are required to be tested continue to be followed up by the ministry’s contact tracing team.
The ministry said it will be working with its partner agencies to look at ways to ensure relevant flights are identified promptly in similar instances in the future.
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