Feb 28, 2020

Update on Corona Virus (COVID-19) in New Zealand

Updated: As of 11 March 2020 there are currently five confirmed cases of CV19 in New Zealand, with one case being released from the hospital after being cleared. Source

The first case arrived from Iran via Bali and was being treated in Auckland City Hospital.

Per a recent article in The Guardian

David Clark [Health Minister] said New Zealand was introducing strict travel bans on arrivals from Iran similar to those already imposed on arrivals from China.

He said the action was taken after a spike in infections in Iran, where the virus has killed 26 people, the highest death toll outside China – and because of the unreliable information coming out of the Islamic republic.

“Obviously this situation in Iran is concerning, there is ongoing spread of the disease there and a large degree of uncertainty about the scale of the outbreak and the ability to contain it,” he told reporters.

“The information that’s coming out of Iran appears to be out of step with what’s coming out of other countries in terms of the death rate per incidence.” source

The State of travel into New Zealand is the following:

Travel restrictions have been put in place for weeks which have prevented foreign nationals traveling from or through mainland China. Simply put, if you travel from or have a flight that was meant to route through china it has been cancelled and will not enter New Zealand.

These restrictions will remain as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand until the country deems it safe to re-open travel.

While most of our clients travel to/from the United States, some may wonder about flights from other parts of the world. New Zealand border control staff have placed a higher level of interest on passengers arriving from or transiting through certain areas in the world, including:

• • Hong Kong,
  • Iran,
  • Italy,
  • Japan,
  • Republic of Korea,
  • Singapore and
  • Thailand.

Passengers from these areas will be additionally screened and health checked if they have been in these countries within 14 days of arriving in New Zealand.

Net: New Zealand is a remote country and the Ministry for Health takes outbreaks very seriously. For those who have traveled to New Zealand with fishing boots in the past or seen the Biosecurity precautions taken at the border... the country is simply too remote not to act quickly.

For up to date information on coronavirus (COVID-19) in New Zealand and subsequent travel restrictions please visit: https://www.health.govt.nz/our...

Cheers

Author: Frank Krieger