Anyone who has visited a Covid-19 place of interest in Wellington is being told not to fly to Rarotonga, the Cook Islands Government announced this evening.
For Wellingtonians already in the Cook Islands, they have been told to isolate until they get a negative Covid-19 test.
The Cook Islands Government said of the 114 arrivals from Wellington since June 18, 106 have returned negative tests. The remaining six are being followed up.
Graeme West, general manager of the Government agency for Cook Islands tourism, said other travellers from the Wellington region can enter Rarotonga quarantine-free if they’d not been at a place of interest.
All travellers into the islands must complete a declaration no more than 24 hours before their departure from Auckland.
The announcement takes effect immediately, West said.
Earlier today, a group of passengers from Wellington were removed from an Air New Zealand flight bound for Rarotonga .
It follows a group of people being removed from a flight bound for Rarotonga today to be interviewed prior to travelling.
At a media briefing this afternoon, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there were "a few people" on a flight who were taken off by the Cook Islands Government based on the information supplied, as they wanted to interview them before take off.
The Wellington region is at Alert Level 2 after a tourist from Sydney visited the capital over the weekend. They subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.
Wellington’s alert level is due to be reviewed on Sunday.
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