Tauranga port worker tests negative for Covid-19 after inconclusive result

August 10, 2021
Cargo ships docked into Tauranga Harbour Port waiting for the adjacent container cranes to load. Mount Maunganui in the background.

A Port of Tauranga worker who had to be retested for Covid-19 after returning an inconclusive result has now come back with a negative result.

The Ministry of Health confirmed the news tonight after over 100 workers came into contact with a Covid-stricken container ship last week.

It was revealed earlier this week that 11 crew members onboard the Rio De La Plata ship, docked off the coast of Tauranga, had contracted the Delta variant while in Australia. 

The port workers came into contact with the Covid-infected crew while unloading cargo off the vessel when it was berthed in the port from Wednesday through to Saturday last week. 

The two pilots, one who sailed the ship into the port and the other who took it out, have tested negative and will remain in self isolation for 14 days. 

According to local health officials, 72 of the port workers boarded the boat while in Tauranga, while the remaining who were tested were all on the wharf.

In total, 110 port workers have now tested negative since the potential exposure event.

All workers had followed the infection prevention and PPE gear protocols during their duties according to the Ministry of Health. 

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