32 foreign fishermen in total in Christchurch test positive for Covid-19

The number of fishermen who tested positive for Covid-19 in Christchurch reached 32.

The Health Ministry announced today that three more international sailors at the Sudima Hotel Christchurch Airport have tested positive.

“Today’s three cases were tested on the ninth as they were part of the group that had previously been in close contact with other confirmed cases.

“These three are now in quarantine, along with the other sailors who had previously tested positive,” he said in the announcement.

They are among 440 fishermen from Russia and Ukraine, 270 of whom will go out on three Independent Fisheries boats next month.

It follows the discovery last Monday that eleven of the fishermen had tested positive for Covid-19.

Today a total of five new cases of Covid-19 were announced in managed isolation, bringing the total number of active cases to 74.

“There are two remaining positive cases to report today, the first being a relative of a positive case who has recently returned and both were already in quarantine at the Auckland quarantine facility.

The other case is a recent returnee who arrived from Ethiopia via Dubai and tested positive as a result of routine tests around the third day. This person has also been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

The total number of active Covid-19 cases in New Zealand is 74.