Man fined over lie about Covid

A man who returned a positive test for Covid-19 in the Cook Islands has been fined $500 for making a false declaration on a travel document when he departed from Auckland.

The man, who has name suppression, appeared at Avarua High Court in Rarotonga yesterday after he did not declare that he was deemed a historical case of Covid-19 while in managed isolation in New Zealand.

He arrived in Auckland from Egypt on May 5 and tested positive for the virus in managed isolation.

Upon his release from quarantine, he flew to the Cooks to holiday with his family but tested positive on June 5.

According to Cook Islands health officials, the man, a resident of Cook Islands, requested a test from Te Marae Ora on arrival, a requirement because of the country he worked in.

It was only when he tested positive that his Covid-19 history came to light.

His family members all tested negative for the virus.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, in an interview with the Cook Islands News, said the incident was a wake-up call to strengthen the borders.

Cook Islands is one of only a few countries in the world that has remained Covid-free.

‘‘One additional step that will now take place is that those people will now be questioned by health professionals whether their declaration is true and honest,’’ Brown said.