Covid 19 coronavirus: Health officials to give update as 13 mariners test positive

Eighteen new cases of Covid-19 have been detected at New Zealand's border - including 13 mariners from the Viking Bay fishing vessel.

There are no new cases in the community.

The 15 positive Viking Bay crew members, which included the two people who tested positive last week, are all in a quarantine facility in Wellington. Five Covid-negative crew members are still aboard the vessel and would be subject to additional testing in the coming days.

Testing continues for the Spanish-flagged shipping vessel, Playa Zahara, where reports of flu-like illnesses originated last week. It had applied for a change of crew while berthed at Port Taranaki.

The ship will depart from its onshore quarantine location once testing is completed and would remain offshore until results were available tomorrow. If they were negative, a crew change would be granted.

Thirteen more crew members on the Viking Bay have tested positive for Covid-19. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The first two managed return flights from Sydney are landing in New Zealand later today at 5pm in Christchurch and 7.30pm in Auckland, bringing home Kiwis who were stranded across the ditch.

Everyone aboard these flights will spend 14 days in MIQ and therefore not require a pre-departure negative Covid test.

Travel histories will be inspected to prevent returning Kiwis who had been in New South Wales from 10.30pm on June 26 from travelling to other states as a way to get around the state's travel pause with New Zealand.

Health officials are monitoring the ongoing Covid outbreak in Australia. Photo / Getty Images

Travellers who hadn't been in NSW since June 26 could return but required a negative pre-departure test and a declaration they had been to no virus locations of interest.

New positive cases reported in Victoria

Today's update also comes as officials in Australia deal with a growing cluster in New South Wales that has now jumped the border into Victoria.

Three new cases have been reported in Victoria after travellers from NSW tested positive for Covid after initially returning negative results.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this morning that the Government was keeping an eye on developments in other Australian states.

Confirmation that the virus was back in Melbourne means officials on this side of the Tasman are also on alert in case of a need to pause the travel bubble with Victoria, as has happened before.

A Ministry of Health spokesman told the Herald: "The ministry is continuing to closely monitor the situation in Victoria and other Australian states - as we do when any cases of this nature emerge - and will issue updated health advice if required."