Covid 19 Coronavirus Community Case – Second Christchurch Hotel Staff Tests Positive

A second person working in a managed isolation facility in Christchurch tested positive for Covid-19.

The Health Ministry says the person is a close workplace contact for the case reported yesterday – a health worker at the Sudima Christchurch Airport hotel who tested positive for the virus on Monday.

“As the person works at the facility and is not a returnee, he is treated as a community case,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Both this case and the one reported on Monday came into contact with international sailors in the performance of their duties, including some of the 31 sailors who tested positive for Covid-19 and who remain in quarantine.”

The second person to test positive was in isolation at his home in Christchurch, but would be transferred to a managed isolation facility. Meanwhile, the person who tested positive Monday remained in isolation at his home.

The person was tested as part of routine testing for hotel staff and tested negative Thursday. They are asymptomatic and the virus was only detected when they were retested as a close contact from yesterday’s positive case. Today they tested positive.

Two close contacts of the person have been identified: both household contacts who were to be evaluated and who would be isolated at home.

“At this stage, the Ministry is not notifying the need to change the current approach,” the Ministry said. “Both cases have a limited number of contacts and the incident is well contained.”

The genome sequencing of Monday’s case will be completed tonight at the earliest and revealed tomorrow.

The first group of international sailors quarantined in Sudima, who were due to leave the premises today after completing their period of isolation, will now remain at the hotel for a further 48 hours as an additional precautionary measure, as the hotel staff members were screened. for viruses.

“Those precautionary measures have included additional tests, up to four tests for some people, and an already prolonged stay in controlled isolation.”

The Ministry of Health will reveal more information about the new case of Covid-19 tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

A total of 31 positive cases of Covid have now been linked to a group of sailors who are among the 440 fishermen from Russia and Ukraine.

Of the more than 400 arriving in Christchurch, 270 were due to depart on three Independent Fisheries ships next month.

International fishermen have exclusively stayed at Sudima Christchurch Airport since their arrival in October.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb before Chris Lynch at Newstalk ZB International Covid hotspots like Russia were higher risk for newcomers.

There was a 24-hour delay while the aircraft worked on its process in Moscow and the fishermen gathered there for 48 hours and then en route for 18 hours, providing an opportunity for the virus to spread, he said.