Possible crew risk

Australian health authorities are investigating the possibility some Qantas aircrew may have had contact with an Auckland International Airport cleaner who tested positive for Covid-19.

Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement yesterday it is assessing each crew member’s risk after the cleaner was diagnosed on Tuesday.

The announcement of that case came just a day after a trans-Tasman bubble opened between New Zealand and Australia. Some crew will be asked to test and quarantine for 14 days, while others will be asked to test and isolate until they get a negative result, the statement said.

The health department is also contacting 520 passengers that arrived in Victoria from Auckland between April 17-20.

The fully-vaccinated cleaner was found to have worked three shifts while infectious, and 31 close contacts have so far been identified by the Ministry of Health.

Of those, 22 were colleagues, and, as of yesterday evening, 14 have returned negative tests.

And there are hopeful signs the case was caught early, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told The AM Show on Wednesday.

He said the genome sequencing had returned overnight, and it showed a link to a passenger who arrived in the country on April 10.

Hipkins said that timing worked in terms of the cycle of infection.

‘‘It would suggest that there are not potentially other intermediaries out there as well, so that’s helpful for us.’’

There were three locations of interest linked to the case.