Two women tested positive for the coronavirus in New Zealand just eight days after the country declared itself COVID-19-free.
Authorities in New Zealand said the two women who contracted the coronavirus traveled from abroad and were released from a mandatory quarantine early.
“Vigorous testing is now taking place across those who were in the quarantine facility at the same time and those who may have had any, even the remotest chance of contact [with the women],” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a Facebook Live video.
The country’s director general of health said the women, who are in their 30s and 40s, traveled from Britain on June 7 to visit a family member close to death. They were initially admitted into a mandatory two-week quarantine but were released early to see the family member.
Following the new introduction of COVID-19 into the country, New Zealand’s Health Minister David Clark said he will suspend all exemptions to the required quarantine guidelines.
“Compassionate exemptions should be rare and rigorous, and it appears that this case did not include the checks that we expected to be happening. That’s not acceptable,” Clark said.
Authorities isolated one family member in contact with the women and plan to test all employees at the hotel where they were staying. All passengers aboard their flight and people who made contact with them at the airport will be contacted by the country’s government.
Approximately 1,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Zealand, with over 1,480 recoveries and 22 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
