There is one new imported case of COVID-19 in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.
The person arrived on October 7 from Kenya via Dubai and was taken to a managed isolation facility in Auckland. They tested positive due to routine testing at around day 12 of their 14-day stay and have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, the Jet Park Hotel.
New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases now stands at 1531.
Five cases have recovered, bringing the active case total to 33.
Thirty close contacts have been identified in relation to the port worker, a community case who tested positive on Saturday after working on a vessel docked in the Taranaki ports. All close contacts of the man have been contacted by health officials and are self-isolating.
To date, all test results returned from close and casual contacts of the case are negative.
On Monday, laboratories processed 2715 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 1,034,603.
Ships
Moana Chief
The Moana Chief is a New Zealand-based ship with a New Zealand-based crew, who health officials plan to test on Wednesday. The Ministry of Health believes it's unlikely the ship is the source of the man's infection.
The ship is travelling from Marsden Point to Tauranga on Tuesday, and testing of the crew will commence on Wednesday to rule out the vessel as the source of infection.
Sofrana Surville
This Sofrana Surville is the ship suspected as the source of the community case's infection. The ship arrived in Brisbane on Monday night, and New Zealand officials are following up with public health officials in Australia regarding the health of those on board.
Australian authorities are conducting testing and serology on all 19 crew members. The results will be shared as they become available and genome sequencing will be conducted on any positive results that are returned.
An investigation into the vessel's activities found there are 11 people who are considered to have had contact with the ship while it was in Auckland. All are being followed up, tested and isolated, if appropriate.
Toi Te Ora, the public health unit in the Bay of Plenty, is continuing its work to identify people who boarded the ship while it was in Tauranga.
Ken Rei
The Ken Rei remains anchored off the coast of Napier. Officials are working with the ship's owners to determine its next move, in conjunction with public health units and port authorities. Testing arrangements will be made once a decision has been made.
The Ministry of Health is continuing to conduct daily health checks for all 21 crew members on board. All are currently well and not reporting any symptoms of COVID-19, and have been symptom-free for seven days.
Tests
Anyone who develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should immediately contact their healthcare provider or Healthline and get tested, the ministry reiterated on Tuesday.
Testing is available at medical practices and after-hours clinics and is free of charge. Many District Health Boards still have community-based assessment centres for testing, and some pop-up testing centres are still operational.
Locations where you can get a test are available on your DHB website or on the ARPHS website if you are in Auckland.
