A Stuff article.
New Zealand’s first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had arrived in the country from Germany, via Dubai and Auckland, last Friday.
The case has prompted experts to urge the Government to delay opening the border, restrict passengers from high-risk countries, and reconsider allowing Covid-19 patients to isolate at home.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed on Thursday the positive case was now in the Sudima managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facility in Christchurch. All passengers on the person’s flight to New Zealand, which came from Germany via Dubai and Auckland on Friday, had been deemed close contacts and were staying on the same floor as each other.