The Ministry of Health confirmed that the patient in isolation at Auckland Hospital does not have novel coronavirus.
Kiwis stranded in the Hubei province locked-down with coronavirus will reportedly not be allowed to board the rescue Air NZ flight if they display symptoms upon boarding in China.
Yesterday, the Government announced a chartered Air NZ flight was scheduled to depart Auckland Sunday and arrive in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Monday NZT.
"Unfortunately from what we've heard it does sound like if anyone in Wuhan has already started to display symptoms - they may not be because of coronavirus they may just have a fever or a cough because of some other flu strain - then they will probably be held in China," Savage said about what he understood from workers union members.
"Only the people without symptoms will get on the plane.
"There is a risk someone will get on the plane who already has been infected by some sort of flu virus and that they will exhibit symptoms.
"But again there's a medical team on board that will make that assessment appropriately."
On Thursday, the Government announced a chartered Air NZ flight that is scheduled to depart Auckland Sunday and arrive in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Monday NZT.
A Ministry of Health team will be on the flight along with the Air NZ cabin crew and pilots to provide medical checks.
"The medical health team on board will assess everyone on board the plane. Obviously the crew will be wearing safety equipment, gloves and masks whenever they're in and around and serving the passengers," Savage said.
"And as long as they follow those basic precautions there's no reason at all to expect that anyone at all should be infected."
However, there is still a major hurdle to get over, as flying Kiwis home is subject to approval from the Chinese Government.
Other countries, such as the UK and Australia, have had issues getting their citizens out of China, as approval has not yet been granted by the Chinese Government.
New Zealanders in the region, who have registered on SafeTravel, have been contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register their interest for the flight.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Thursday that the aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers.
New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority.
Those who do take a seat on the plane will be required to pay a fee, but Peters said the Government will absorb most of the cost of the charter flight.
"We encourage all New Zealanders in the Hubei region to register on Safetravel and ensure all their details are accurate and up to date. This will give us a better understanding of the level of demand for this flight."
In a statement, Air NZ said it was happy to support the New Zealand Government with the repatriation of New Zealanders from Wuhan in China's Hubei province.
"Air NZ continues to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the operational requirements of chartering this flight."
More than 11,000 people worldwide have been infected by the virus, with China reporting this afternoon 259 people have died after contracting it.
Today, the Ministry of Health declared tests on New Zealand's first suspected case of coronavirus in Auckland came back negative.
