An infectious disease expert says Kiwis shouldn't be worried about community transmission after new cases were announced on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Health reported two new cases of COVID-19 in the community and 23 imported cases.
The pair of new community cases were colleagues of the port worker who tested positive on Sunday.
The first is considered a casual contact of Sunday's case, while the second is a close contact and has been at the Auckland quarantine facility since Sunday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said.
Otago University Professor David Murdoch, one of New Zealand's top infectious disease experts, says the new cases should not cause panic.
"If the system is working, the risk should be quite low as people who have had close contact with the person have been told to self-isolate," he said.
Murdoch says at this stage, there is a slim chance of another lockdown.
"We're just seeing a small number so far, so that should be able to be managed."
Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced on Wednesday both cases are at the Auckland quarantine facility and all household contacts are currently isolating.
On Wednesday, 18 fishermen in managed isolation were tested positive for COVID-19, but some are believed to be historical infections.
Professor David Murdoch says in some cases, people can be recovered but still test positive and not be at risk of infection.
"Tests are sometimes so accurate they test the most minuscule bit of the virus. Even if that virus is basically killed, there may be still a part of it around causing a false-positive result."
Dr Nikki Moreland, Senior Lecturer in Immunology at the University of Auckland, says serology testing enables people to look back and see if they've previously had an infection.
"Serological testing allows cases that were infected weeks or even months ago to be identified, while standard swab tests generally only identify those that are currently infected."
