Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland BnB guests did not inform host tested positive

Bed and breakfast guests of a man who recently tested positive for Covid-19 say they have not been contacted by health officials.

This was despite coming into contact with the man on Saturday at his Coatesville BnB in North Auckland, reports the Stuff news outlet.

The man was previously exposed to the virus at his workplace full time.

The health authorities defended their decision not to test the guests or inform them of the man’s positive case because close contacts were not considered.

It comes as a new group linked to a marine engineer had grown to include three more positive cases and has businesses across Auckland struggling after being alerted to links to new infections.

The engineer was thought to have captured Covid-19 while working on a foreign vessel before passing it on to two colleagues.

There was no indication of wrongdoing by anyone related to the latest outbreak, health authorities said.

The 27-year-old engineer has been hailed as a “hero” by epidemiologists for getting tested so quickly after feeling bad and limiting his exposure to others.

The Coatesville BnB owner, in his 60s, crossed paths with his guests a day before the Health Ministry announced the current group’s first case on Sunday.

It wasn’t until Sunday, after he met the guests, that the Health Ministry publicly announced the first case in what has come to be known as the marine employee cluster.

The man was understood to be working full-time at Albany-based Wright Technologies, along with the marine engineer, who first contracted the virus.

He and his wife were now staying at the Jet Park Hotel’s quarantine facility after being in isolation at their home when news of the first case broke, Stuff reported.

It was understood that the couple operated several BnB units on their Coatesville property.

Two guests told Stuff they encountered the man on Saturday, but had not yet heard from authorities as of Thursday, so they were unaware of the man’s positive Covid case.