A visitor from the UK has been the first case of the Omicron variant exposed to the public in New Zealand, according to a statement from the country’s Ministry of Health.
Released on Wednesday, the statement says that the fully vaccinated traveller arrived in Auckland on a flight from the United Kingdom, via Doha, on 16 December, and tested negative during seven days of isolation.
However, the visitor then tested positive on day nine of their trip, after they had “briefly been active in the community”.
The statement lists six places the traveller had visited while out of isolation on 26 and 27 December, and urges members of the public who may have been there at the same time to isolate and get tested.
“A number of close contacts” of the person in question have also been tracked down and tested negative.
Ministry officials say the traveller was immediately sent to an MIQ (“Managed Isolation and Quarantine”) facility in the city while their sample underwent genomic sequencing.
According to the statement, no other cases have been detected from the person’s flight.
New Zealand last week announced that it would push back its planned, phased reopening to international travel by at least a month due to the Omicron variant.
On 21 December, the country’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the proposed January date would be postponed, with borders more likely to open to fully vaccinated New Zealanders and Australians from the end of February.
The country is still working towards admitting foreign tourists from elsewhere “from April”, with entry expected to be phased by vaccination status, visa type and country of departure.
At the same press conference, New Zealand authorities said the current length of stay in MIQ facilities will be increased from a week to 10 days, while the testing window for the present pre-departure test (required for those who can enter) has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours before travel.
