One airline crew member tests COVID-19 positive in New Zealand

An airline crew member was tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, said the New Zealand Ministry of Health in a statement.

The case was deemed as a border-related case identified as part of routine surveillance testing, said the ministry.

"The case is an airline crew member who returned to New Zealand from Japan on February 28, and returned a negative COVID-19 result. The person then subsequently returned a positive test result on Sunday after a swab taken on Saturday as part of a routine surveillance testing," read the ministry statement.

Initial assessment of the case stated that there was a low risk to the general public due to Auckland being at Alert Level Three for the period in which this case was back in New Zealand and was either in isolation or at home for most of that time, it said.

Results from genome sequencing are expected on Tuesday and will help rule out any local transmission, said the ministry.

The Auckland region moved to COVID-19 Alert Level Two from 6:00 am Sunday morning for a week. At Alert Level Two people can go to school and work, travel between regions, and attend gatherings of up to 100 people.

The remainder of New Zealand is at COVID-19 Alert Level One. Masks are still mandatory on domestic flights and all public transport at Level One.