Forced quarantine after Cooks isolation breach

AUCKLAND: A family in Rarotonga has been forced into supervised quarantine after one member breached Covid rules to visit a New Zealand returnee in selfisolation.

The Cook Islands Government says the contact between the family member and and the recent arrival was ‘‘brief and apparently unintentional’’ but the whole family would be moved to a supervised quarantine facility for two weeks.

‘‘The person he had contact with had returned a negative Covid19 test before leaving New Zealand, and has had another test incountry this afternoon which has returned negative, and is not showing any Covid19 symptoms,’’ the Government said in an online post yesterday.

‘‘The man who entered the supervised quarantine property also tested negative this afternoon for Covid19.’’

The Cook Islands remains Covidfree, but community leaders are concerned an outbreak could overwhelm its health system.

Strict quarantine protocols are in place for people who have returned to the Cook Islands from overseas, including a ban on physical contact with those in supervised quarantine or in properties displaying yellow flags.

Health Secretary Aumea Herman said the ‘‘unfortunate’’ breach of quarantine orders was a lesson for all to remain vigilant.

‘‘The person in quarantine was in the right place and obeying the rules, including wearing a mask; there was a yellow flag outside the property indicating there were people in quarantine there,’’ he said.

The health risk from the incident was low, Mr Herman said. — The New Zealand Herald