Taxi virus scare

A Marlborough taxi driver who did not find out he was a close contact of a positive coronavirus case for two months was ‘‘at risk’’ of catching and spreading the disease, his boss says.

Marlborough Taxis managing director Eiren Watson said its drivers had been taking precautions, including disinfecting vehicles between customers, but it was ‘‘hard to act against something’’ they did not know about.

‘‘It put that driver at risk, plus a lot of customers who had been in his vehicle afterwards,’’ she said.

The driver should have been told to self-isolate, but was only contact traced by the Ministry of Health at the weekend.

Drivers had also been carrying hand sanitiser and customers had been sitting in the back seat, Watson said.

‘‘We did what we could do to protect ourselves and the clients.’’

Following questions from Stuff, Nelson Marlborough Health (NMH) clinical director Dr Stephen Bridgman said it discovered an ‘‘error’’ in the contract tracing procedure for the man notified as a case of Covid-19 on March 24. The taxi driver who transported the coronaviruspositive person to the [Wairau] hospital was considered a ‘‘close contact’’ and should have been advised to self-isolate, Bridgman said.

‘‘Unfortunately, a system error meant this did not happen and has only come to NMH’S attention as a result of this inquiry.

‘‘The taxi driver has been interviewed. He has remained well, without symptoms,’’ Bridgman said.

The customer was a man in his 80s, who had been touring the South Island with his wife in a rented motorhome. He was the fifth confirmed case in Marlborough.

The couple were trying to get back to the United Kingdom before New Zealand entered level 4 lockdown.

He began showing symptoms as he boarded a flight at Marlborough Airport.

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said an ‘‘unwell passenger’’ was offloaded.

The couple caught a Marlborough Taxi to Wairau Hospital. The drive takes 10 to 15 minutes.

‘‘Going back two months, I knew nothing of it,’’ Watson said.

She connected the driver with the Ministry of Health.