The Prime Minister's United States trip has hit another snag after the plane carrying her delegation broke down.
Jacinda Ardern's RNZAF Boeing, which was meant to take the delegation from Washington DC to San Francisco, broke down on Tuesday.
The breakdown left Ardern and her delegation scrambling to book commercial flights.
To add another spanner in the works, another one of Ardern's officials has tested positive for COVID-19.
The person tested positive on Tuesday morning and is asymptomatic. They are taking precautionary measures and isolating.
It comes after two members of Ardern's delegation, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chris Seed, and her chief press secretary, Andrew Campbell tested positive on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said both are isolating in San Francisco.
It means the entire delegation is now a close contact - which in the United States doesn’t mean isolation - but everyone is now monitoring themselves for symptoms that has caused nervousness throughout the camp.
The Prime Minister is set to meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday (NZT).
It comes a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom tested positive for COVID-19 after meeting with the Prime Minister.
Ardern has recently recovered from COVID-19 after catching the virus from her partner.
