Coronavirus: Pacific Islands-bound passengers face health, temperature checks at Auckland Airport

Travellers to the Pacific Islands must undergo temperature checks at NZ's border before hopping on their flights to help avoid a coronavirus-infected passenger exporting the virus. Photo / Getty

Travellers must now undergo extra health checks at Auckland International Airport before stepping on planes to the Pacific Islands.

New measures including a temperature check are meant to help stop the spread of the coronavirus to the Pacific, which appears to be largely free of the disease.

An airport spokesman said the checks were part of the new border exit measure for travellers to the Pacific announced by the Government on Saturday.

"This is being carried out by public health nurses in the international check-in area. NZ Customs, NZ Police and Auckland Airport staff are on site to help manage the process," he said.

"All airlines with flights to the Pacific Islands are directing their passengers to undertake a health assessment prior to beginning their check-in process."

The exception is Tahiti, where three cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed. The first was Tahitian parliamentarian Maina Sage, who tested positive after returning from Paris two weekends ago. The second case was a person close to Sage, while the third was a Swiss tourist who fell ill on one of the Tuamotu atolls.

Auckland Airport's new measures come after the Prime Minister announced anyone arriving in New Zealand must self-isolate for two weeks. However, the Pacific Islands - excluding Tahiti - are not subject to the restrictions, reflecting their coronavirus-free status.

Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that people heading to the Pacific must also have been in New Zealand for two weeks beforehand.

New Zealand currently has eight confirmed cases of Covid-19, while two new probable cases were announced yesterday.

Last year a measles outbreak in Samoa proved disastrous for the country, killing 83 people - most of them young children. It's believed the disease was brought to Samoa by a passenger flying in from New Zealand.

Ardern said on Friday that given that outbreak, New Zealand had a responsibility as the "gateway to the Pacific" to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to Pacific nations.

"We are exploring what would have some impact, what could have some effect, what could provide potentially an extra layer of protection.

"We take very seriously our duty of care."