Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says there are two more people in New Zealand with symptoms that might be consistent with Covid-19 coronavirus.
They were not on the Emirates flight that a patient who has tested positive for the virus was on.
Dr Bloomfield told media this afternoon he did not know where those two suspected cases were in New Zealand, and there was still only one positive case so far.
The results of the two suspected cases may have been tested today, in which case the results should be available now, but Bloomfield said he did not know if they were tested today; the media would be notified if there were any more positive cases.
Bloomfield said a number of people were tested today, and of those cases two were "close to the suspected case definition".
"They fulfilled the travel criteria, and have got symptoms that would be consistent with Covid-19."
Of the 140 tests carried out, there was still only one positive test. Health professionals were erring on the side of testing to be cautious, he said.
Bloomfield said if you have travelled to countries that have cases of Covid-19, then ring Healthline on 0800 611-116.
The Ministry of Health was modelling how Covid-19 coronavirus might move around the country, but it was "early days" and it depended on the assumptions put into the model.
There were still six people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in isolation at Whangaparoa, Bloomfield said.
PM EXTENDS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Travel restrictions coming into New Zealand have been extended in response to the outbreak of coronavirus.
Globally, there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases, with the numbers outside China now growing faster than inside China, where it began late last year.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this afternoon that border management was the first line of defence and restrictions would be extended for Iran, China and for passengers on the cruise ship the Diamond Princess that was docked in Japan for seven days.
People coming into New Zealand from northern Italy and South Korea would also need to self-isolate for 14 days, she said.
People coming from those areas would need to complete a form to enable health officials to contact those individuals to ensure they are in self-quarantine, and what is expected of them.
Ardern said that, as of today, there will be verbal announcements for all people coming in on international flights, regardless of where they are coming from, and everyone will be told about health warnings in person except for E-gate passengers from USA and Australia.
She thanked the health professionals that have been part of the response to the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Eight thousand people had been helped with self-isolation so far. There were robust measures in place to deal with Covid-19, she said.
The patient with Covid-19, NZ's first confirmed case of coronavirus, is stable and improving and officials had traced the 15 at-risk passengers who shared the same flight.
This was originally thought to be 18 people, but has been reduced.
"We have 87,000 cases globally. The vast majority still remain in China. We have 7300 outside mainland China," Ardern said. "We know self-isolation works."
A special Covid-19 Cabinet sub-committee had been set up.
Healthline had reported over-compliance, not non-compliance with self-isolation, she said.
Cabinet has decided to expand the regional business partner programme to protect jobs affected by Covid-19.
Ardern said the programme - which already has $15.2 million - would receive an extra $4 million.
The programme supports a focus on firms in the regions with issues such as cash flow and the ability to pay taxes.
Ministry of Social Development teams were meeting employers and assisting people at risk of losing their current jobs at a regional level.
Those teams will coordinate with other employers to transition people into different jobs, such as forestry workers doing wilding pines work.
The economic response was focused on job losses, she said.
She and Finance Minister Grant Robertson were meeting with business representatives and the Council of Trade Unions this evening.
"In the meantime, public health remains our primary focus."
Ardern said on the east coast, as many as 300 individuals have been affected by at least a reduction of work hours.
It was too early to say how widespread those effects will be, she said.
TWO MONITORED IN NELSON
Nelson-Marlborough Health confirmed that two people in the region are being monitored for signs of Covid-19.
A health board spokesperson said today the two were passengers on the same Emirates flight - from Dubai to Auckland, via Bali - as the person who has tested positive for the virus.
The two people in the Nelson-Marlborough region were now in isolation and were being monitored daily by health services, but neither had been tested.
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Comments
On a plane the air is reticulated to a good extent. All passengers should be tested, not 15- that is why few people are flying- air passengers seem to know more than our health officials. Assymatric transmission has been documented in China as upto 27 days. Why is there a 14 day self quarantine period?- it should be 28 days. Why does the PM use 2 week old information on 14 days? Stellar advisors once again..
Why is there no mention from the Govt of controlling the entry of people on cruise ships or cargo ships? Air travel is not the only way people from overseas arrive in NZ. There are thousands of people from all over the world who disembark from cruise ships all over NZ most days. It is alarming that this method of entry is not being controlled, let alone mentioned.