Three Kiwis who were on board the Grand Princess cruise ship are being tested for coronavirus.
The ship is currently in lockdown off the coast of San Francisco, with all 3000 people on board not allowed to disembark until test results come back.
So far, 35 passengers have shown flu-like symptoms.
Two US passengers are being treated in hospital and a 71-year-old man who was on an earlier leg of the cruise has since died from the virus.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health said it had been notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States that eight passengers from New Zealand were aboard the ship between February 11-21 and may have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
All eight people had already returned to New Zealand by the time the ministry heard from CDC, and seven of the eight passengers were contacted on Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Health said.
"Three people have been assessed as needing to be tested," the ministry said.
"One of those three was already in medical care at North Shore Hospital and appropriate testing and public health actions are underway."
Contact tracing for that person has begun as a precaution.
Four others were deemed to be at no risk of being infected.
The Ministry of Health said one person was still being sought.
Four people have so far been confirmed to have the virus in New Zealand. Earlier on Friday, the Ministry of Health said one of the people infected attended the Tool concert in Auckland last Friday night.
While the risk to other concert-goers was low, anyone standing in the general admission section in the front left-hand quadrant should be aware if they show any COVID-19 symptoms.
