New Zealand's quarantine-free travel pause with Victoria will be extended another six days, the Government has announced. New Zealand citizens will be able to fly home from 11.59pm on June 8, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.
There are no new cases of Covid-19 in the community, but one new case in managed isolation.
The new border case arrived from the Philippines via Singapore on June 2 and tested positive in a day zero routine test, the Ministry of Health said in its daily update.
The ministry also confirmed two Air New Zealand staff who are casual contacts of a positive Covid-19 case were not, as initially thought, wearing full PPE when the came into contact with the case.
Both have returned a negative test result. They are also fully vaccinated.
"As an additional precaution, the two staff will be remaining in isolation until they return a further negative test result at day five."
Today's cases update comes as there remains no sign of community transmission and relatively low positive cases of Covid in managed isolation.
One new case was reported at the border in the Ministry of Health's latest update yesterday. A historical case was also identified in a recent returnee in quarantine.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is two.
The number of active cases in New Zealand is 17, as one previously reported case has now recovered.
Since January 1 there have been 67 historical cases of Covid-19, out of a total of 510 cases. The total number of confirmed cases in New Zealand since the virus was first detected on our shores is 2326.
The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 2,159,702, with 4771 processed yesterday. The seven-day rolling average is 4699, although tests processed by Waikato District Health Board aren't included because of the earlier cyber attack.
Kiwis out of Melbourne
Meanwhile, all 177 passengers from two additional flights the ministry released information about yesterday have either returned to Australia or been contacted, advised to get a test and isolate.
The ministry revealed yesterday it missed 177 people who had travelled from Melbourne as the state of Victoria went into lockdown.
The original cohort of travellers from Melbourne now sits at 4767, 93 per cent of whom had already been tested for are exempt from testing. There have been no positive test results so far.
Of that number, 400 have no test result yet.
"We are continuing to follow up with the 400 people who still require tests, noting their 14 day period will lapse in the coming days."
Of 370 crew members, 237 have returned a negative test result and 133 have no result yet.
Kiwis stuck in Melbourne
Meanwhile, New Zealanders who have found themselves stuck in Melbourne - which is now dealing with a Covid outbreak in the community - got some good news yesterday.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins yesterday announced critical workers and people with humanitarian exemptions in Melbourne would be able to fly to New Zealand from next Wednesday (June 9).
The only condition is that they will need to have a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test carried out less than 72 hours before departure.
Melbourne's lockdown has been extended for another week after more cases of Covid connected to the current community cluster were found. Photo / 123rf
Because the date that flights start again coincides with the completion of the 14-day lockdown currently happening in Victoria, any Kiwis who come back from June 9 will not have to go into isolation or have another Covid test.
By next week, the risk to public health on this side of the Tasman - as a result of people returning from Melbourne - would be very low, Hipkins said.
More details would be released over the coming days if seats for those flights back start to exceed supply.
