Positive virus plane cleaner unlikely to affect bubble – Ardern

THE Auckland Airport worker who has tested positive for COVID-19 cleans planes from places with COVID-19, and had been fully vaccinated, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

The ministry reported in a statement yesterday afternoon that the person tested positive. It said there was also one historical case.

Speaking more than an hour later, Ms Ardern said the border worker cleaned planes which had come from places with COVID-19 and carrying people with the coronavirus.

“A very clear link at this stage to cases that are high risk,” she said.

“The reason this person was part of our surveillance testing was because they were working in an area we consider to be high-risk. They are coming in contact with the planes that are carrying passengers from high risk countries and so that is a place where our workers, they are in the kinds of roles that means they need to be tested, they need to be vaccinated, but they also need to be thanked for the jobs that they do because of the risk that it carries.”

They were fully vaccinated early on in the campaign and were last tested on April 12 and 19, she said.

Monday’s test showed a positive result.

The new case came just one day into the start of a quarantine-free travel bubble for Australia and New Zealand.

Ms Ardern said both countries had expected there would be cases of COVID-19 among border workers while the transTasman bubble was open.

She had not spoken to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yet, but said she would anticipate the border case would not alter the bubble arrangement.