Wellington Moves to CCP Virus Alert Level 2

Wellington Moves to CCP Virus Alert Level 2
A general view of houses in Oriental Bay on April 9, 2016 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Caden Pearson
6/22/2021
Updated:
6/23/2021

The New Zealand city of Wellington will move to alert level two from 6 p.m. on Wednesday night after an Australian man with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, visited several locations while infectious on a weekend getaway.

RNZ reported the alert level two would last until 11.59 p.m. on Sunday, June 27.

The Australian man was in Wellington from June 19 to June 21, and public health officials have said that based on the time of his symptom onset and CT score, it is most likely he contracted the virus in Sydney prior to visiting New Zealand, the country’s health ministry said in a media release.

Health authorities in New Zealand said their Australian counterparts informed them of the case on Tuesday night once the man had returned to Sydney.

New Zealand Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield believes the man, who works near Bondi Junction, the centre of Sydney’s new cluster, contracted the virus before departing Australia.

Genome sequencing is underway to determine whether the case is linked to the Delta variant Bondi cluster.

Six locations of interest in Wellington have been listed as sites the man visited last weekend, New Zealand’s health ministry reported on June 23.

All passengers on Qantas flight QF163 which arrived in Wellington on June 19, must isolate or quarantine for 14 days. Likewise, passengers on Air New Zealand flight NZ247 departed Wellington on June 21.

New Zealand authorities are now working with Australian counterparts to carry out contact tracing to gather more information about his movements while in Wellington.

The Rydges Hotel, Prince Barbers, a pharmacy, bars, and restaurants have been listed as exposure sites, along with others.

Health authorities in New Zealand are urging people who visited these locations at the relevant time to immediate isolate themselves at their home or accommodation and contact Healthline for advice on testing.

Four close contacts of the Australian man are currently isolating.

New Zealand health authorities said it was the first time an Australian traveller had brought the CCP virus into New Zealand and since gone home.