Ministry of Health trying to track down 367 people who were in managed isolation between June 9 and 16

The Ministry of Health is asking anyone who was in managed isolation between June 9 and 16 to make contact via Healthline so they can be tested for Covid-19.

When New Zealand dropped down to Level 1 on June 9 all those returning to New Zealand and entering managed isolation were required to be tested, but prior to the change in level testing wasn’t required.

However, no all those staying in managed isolation were tested.

This came to light when a woman with Covid-19 was able to leave managed isolation due to a family bereavement but was not tested for the virus before she left the facility.

Since then the Ministry of Health has been tracking down all 2,159 people who were in isolation between June 9 and 16 to see if they were tested.

According the the ministry last week, 800 people were tested before leaving a facility while 210 were tested after they left managed isolation.

Today the ministry says they've been able to contact and test 1,269 people for Covid-19. Their tests all came back negative.

However, 367 people have proven hard to get in contact with.

“We have repeatedly tried to make contact with [them], including via text and via phone calls,” the ministry said in a statement today.

Speaking to media this afternoon, the Director of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he believes there is nothing sinister going on, saying some may have given their overseas contact number not thinking they would be changing contact details after they left isolation.

The Ministry of Health is now asking anyone who was in managed isolation between June 9 and 16 to call Healthline.

The ministry says they will refer those people to finding services or enforcement if they continue not to reply or contact the Ministry of Health.