The closed Countdown near Christchurch Airport. Photo / Supplied
The closed Countdown near Christchurch Airport. Photo / Supplied
A Christchurch supermarket has been closed after it was visited by a person who later tested positive for Covid-19 in South Korea.
The Countdown at Spitfire Square, near Christchurch Airport, is undergoing a deeper clean than usual.
Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said the cleaning was a precaution.
She said the order was made after the company was contacted by the Canterbury District Health Board in relation to the person who tested positive in South Korea.
The traveller at the centre of the latest Covid scare, a man in his 20s, had caught a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch on July 21, before travelling to South Korea.
On Monday, it was revealed he had tested positive a day after taking a plane from Auckland to Christchurch before continuing overseas to South Korea last week.
Initially presenting as asymptomatic, Korean-language news services say the man is now in hospital under quarantine. Meanwhile, health authorities in both countries are trying to pinpoint where he caught the virus.
It's been more than a week since he went through the store.
However, Hannifin said the stores were cleaned every day. She expects it to reopen tomorrow morning.
Hannifin said the store was "reasonably busy", though the foot traffic in the area had been impacted by the drop in international flights, as the Government manages the return of New Zealanders. She would not venture a guess as to how many people may have entered the store in the past week.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said that the supermarket store was closed for a deep clean today, as per their precautionary approach connected to the positive test of the person who travelled from New Zealand to Korea earlier this week.
"The Ministry of Health and local DHB did not require the closure of the store as the risk is low, but do appreciate the effort Countdown have gone to," she said.
The Countdown is a five-minute walk from the Sudima Hotel and is opposite a hair and beauty salon, a Coffee Club cafe and an Anytime Fitness gym in a shopping complex.
Earlier today, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said there was no evidence the person who tested positive for Covid-19 in South Korea after travelling from New Zealand was infected here.
But amid an "abundance of caution", officials were contact-tracing two rows in front of and behind the person, who left New Zealand from Christchurch Airport on July 21.
The Ministry of Health said it could not rule out that the man became infected in New Zealand before travelling to South Korea.
Korean-language newspapers reported the international traveller in his 20s arrived from New Zealand on July 22 and tested positive on July 23.
