Coronavirus latest: New Zealand says no cases linked to frozen imports; Australia’s second wave traced to Melbourne hotels
- Investigations suggest New Zealand’s latest outbreak has not come from a cold-storage facility in Auckland where a recently infected person worked
- In Australia, an inquiry has found that almost all of a second wave of infections in Victoria state can be traced back to travellers in two Melbourne hotels
Investigations suggested the virus had not come through chilled services or material arriving from overseas at an Americold cold-storage facility in Auckland where one of the recently infected individuals worked, health officials said.
“Seems clear now that the possibility is being ruled out from that investigation,” said Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health.
New Zealand has fared far better than most countries during the pandemic, but an abrupt resurgence in Auckland last week prompted the government to extend a lockdown for the city’s 1.7 million residents until August 26, while safe-distancing rules are in place in other towns and cities.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in recent days has also faced criticism by the opposition over the discovery that border officials were not regularly tested for Covid-19.