The Ministry of Health's Director-General has issued strong words for the man who flew from Australia to New Zealand and was later diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The man, who is in his 60s, was awaiting his test results when he boarded flight NZ828 from Brisbane to Wellington. He arrived at 12:05am on Saturday and was notified later that morning of his positive result.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield says at best the man's actions have inconvenienced a number of people, and at worst it's put many people at risk of infection.
"I think what this does reiterate is the importance of every single person playing their role and showing responsibility."
He's surprised and "pretty disappointed" the man took the flight in the first place.
"I think you can draw your own conclusions that it wasn't really an appropriate thing to do."
The man is now in isolation in Wellington.
He, along with a Danish woman in her 30s, are the seventh and eighth confirmed cases in New Zealand.
The woman arrived in Auckland via Doha on QR920 on Tuesday before flying from Auckland to Christchurch on Jetstar flight JQ225 arriving at 8am.
She was then hospitalised in Queenstown. The Ministry of Health says she is recovering well and is in the process of being discharged. From there she will enter isolation.
Dr Bloomfield says contact tracing has begun.
"We are working to scale up our response to support the increasing number we know will be in self-isolation.
"This will ensure that they are supported; that they are monitored appropriately while in self-isolation.
"The evidence to date is that self-isolation is playing an important role in our control efforts."
Meanwhile, three people on board a cruise ship berthed at Akaroa in Canterbury have been tested for the virus, Dr Bloomfield said. Those test results are pending.
