The cargo ship on which a man who has tested positive for Covid-19 worked has been denied entry into Napier Port.
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced today that an Auckland man who works in the shipping industry went to Taranaki last Wednesday and worked on a vessel there.
The man began to get symptoms of Covid-19 on Friday when he was back in Auckland and was tested that day.
Yesterday afternoon the result came back positive with the man and his family now in quarantine.
The ship, the Ken Rei , was due in Napier this afternoon where Dr Bloomfield said the crew, considered as "close contacts' of the infected man would be isolated and tested on arrival in Napier.
According to its shipping forecast, the Ken Rei departed Port Taranaki on Friday at 7.11pm bound for Napier.
Bloomfield said the people the man worked with on the vessel were using PPE and were being “scoped” at the moment.
"No one on board is symptomatic at this time and no plans have been made to have workers quarantine on board the vessel," Bloomfield said.
But a Napier Port spokesperson says the vessel would not be coming into the port today.
“It’s at anchor for the time being and it is not coming into Napier Port,” the spokesperson said.
“At the moment we will be liasing with the public health unit and will facilitate anything they need from us.”
A Ministry of Health spokesperson confirmed to 1 NEWS that this was the case.
"They [crew] can’t come into port without clearance from local public health.”
“They are in quarantine on board the ship," the ministry spokesperson said.
The ministry would not say if the crew would continue to quarantine on board the ship, if it would be allowed into Napier Port or if the vessel would be re-routed.
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