A person in quarantine in New Caledonia has tested positive for Covid-19, the first to do so in 52 days.
Photo: AFP
The president Thierry Santa said the individual was not contagious but was transferred from the quarantine hotel to the hospital.
A government statement said the test showed biological traces of an infection which was more than a month old.
There have now been 19 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with the previously last case detected in early April.
All Covid-19 infections were found in people coming from overseas, mainly France, with one local case being dismissed because it was based on a faulty test.
New Caledonia requires anyone arriving from overseas to isolate for three weeks, of which the last one can be spent at home.
Mr Santa said while the government paid for the two-week hotel quarantine until now, he said it might start to charge.