New Zealand / Covid 19

Covid-19 update: One new case in MIQ, none in community

16:13 pm on 12 July 2021

There is one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation and quarantine facilities (MIQ) reported today.

Photo: 123RF

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there were no community cases.

Earlier this morning, the government revealed criteria for people to apply for about 20 percent of the MIQ spots reserved for people with an urgent or exceptional need to return from NSW, where there has been an outbreak.

Air New Zealand began offering flights at 10am today for New Zealanders stranded in the Australian state, which recorded 77 new community cases of Covid-19 and one new death yesterday.

However, just before 11.30am today, Air NZ said all flights from Sydney to New Zealand had already sold out.

In the statement, the ministry said quarantine-free travel from New South Wales remained paused and managed return flights from Sydney would begin tomorrow.

"All travellers on these flights will have to go into managed isolation for 14 days when they arrive in New Zealand. Because of this, travellers from NSW will not be required to return a negative pre-departure test before flying.

"Travellers who have been in NSW on or after 10.30pm on 26 June are not permitted to travel back to New Zealand from other parts of Australia. Travel histories will be checked at the airport before flying.

"Travellers from all other parts of Australia - who haven't been in NSW since 26 June - must have returned a negative pre-departure test to be allowed to enter New Zealand. All travellers must complete a travel declaration."

The ministry also said officials had confirmed the health risk from Queensland is now low and quarantine-free travel from Queensland to New Zealand could resume from 11.59pm (NZT) tonight.

In a post-Cabinet conference this afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she did not want to put a date on when the travel pause with NSW would be lifted.

"We think that there is a significant road to travel," she said. "When you think about the fact that they've had 112 cases today ... New Zealand at its peak had in the order of - my recollection is - 89."

Health checks would be around international travel for "a long time to come" and would increasingly be built into the system, Ardern said.

"My message to anyone, if you try and travel to New Zealand without having a pre-departure test, you run the risk of going into managed isolation for 14 days and paying for it. That is not the holiday you would expect."

Update on the Viking Bay

The Viking Bay fishing ship had now docked at Queens Wharf in Wellington, the ministry said.

"As it is now a quarantined vessel, perimeter fencing has been put around the ship and maritime security and police are monitoring the wharf and the water. Media and the public are asked to avoid the area and to respect the privacy of the crew.

"A mobile health unit has been set up. The crew will disembark later today and be tested."

The ministry said seven of the 20 crew would remain aboard to meet maritime safety requirements. The remaining 13 crew - which included the two crew who last week tested positive for Covid-19 - would be transferred to a Wellington quarantine facility using Infection Prevention and Control protocol, including the use of appropriate PPE.

"The risk assessment has been reviewed and this situation remains to be considered a low risk to public health," the ministry said.

Update on the Playa Zahara

The ministry said the Spanish flagged shipping vessel the Playa Zahara had applied for permission for a change of crew at Port Taranaki.

There had been reports of a flu-like illness on board so health authorities would provide testing for crew members on the ship shortly after it berthed tomorrow, it said.

"The ship will then depart from the onshore quarantine place of inspection and will remain offshore until test results are available on Thursday.

"If the results show there is no evidence of Covid-19 onboard, then the vessel will be granted pratique for a crew change."

Health authorities had assessed this situation as having a low risk to public health, the ministry said.

The numbers

The new Covid-19 case today in MIQ arrived in the country from the Netherlands via Singapore on 9 July. They are now in a managed isolation facility in Auckland.

The ministry said two previously reported cases had now recovered and the number of active cases in New Zealand was 33.

It also said two previously reported cases, from 5 July, had now been deemed as historical.

"Since 1 January 2021, there have been 87 historical cases, out of a total of 596 cases."

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border was one.

The total number of confirmed cases was 2412.

On Sunday, 2962 Covid-19 tests were processed across New Zealand.

The total number of Covid-19 tests processed to date was 2,353,967.

The Covid-19 Tracer app now has 2,892,561 registered users.