A returnee has tested positive for COVID-19 in managed isolation more than three weeks after arriving in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.
Four imported cases have been picked up in managed isolation facilities in the past 24 hours, including one returnee from Ethiopia who arrived in New Zealand on March 18.
The returnee travelled via the UAE and tested positive at around day 24 of their mandatory stay in a managed isolation facility.
New arrivals must complete a minimum of 14 days in managed isolation, however they may be required to spend longer in a facility if they refuse to undergo routine testing.
Newshub has contacted the Ministry of Health for more information regarding the case.
Of the three other cases picked up in managed isolation, the first arrived on March 31 from the Philippines via Singapore. The second arrived on April 6 from India via the UAE, and the third landed two days later from Croatia with a transit in Qatar. The new arrivals returned their positive results at around day 11, day 5 and day 3 respectively.
All four cases are currently quarantining in Auckland.
No new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the community, the Ministry of Health confirmed.
As of Monday, two people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of active cases to 102. To date, New Zealand has recorded 2231 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Of the 415 cases recorded since January 1, 2021, 44 have been classified as historical infections.
The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,948,223. On Monday, 3330 tests were processed. The seven-day rolling average up to yesterday is 4378 tests.
A pop-up testing centre is available at the Mt Roskill War Memorial on 15 May Road from Tuesday through to Friday.
For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS). For all testing locations nationwide, visit Healthpoint.
Update on border-related cases
Testing continues for the contacts of Case B, a security guard at Auckland's Grand Millennium managed isolation facility, and Case C, another security staffer at the facility who returned a positive test on Sunday. As a colleague of the security guard, Case C is considered a close contact of Case B.
Jointly, the two have 23 contacts. Twenty-one have returned negative test results so far, with the remaining two results outstanding.
Update on locations of interest
The Ministry of Health has updated the locations of interest to include three bus journeys taken by Case B in Auckland, which were announced on Monday.
According to regional public health officials, Case B wore a mask and sat away from other passengers while on the respective bus journeys. Other passengers are considered casual contacts.
The journeys - including the dates, times and actions for other passengers - are listed on the ministry's website. Further information can be found on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website.
"A reminder for those at locations of interest during the time and date of the exposure events, please follow the public health advice alongside the event," a Ministry of Health spokesperson said in Tuesday's statement.
"Casual contacts are required to monitor for any symptoms. If you begin to feel unwell or develop any COVID-19 symptoms, contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453, get tested, and stay at home until a negative test result is received."
