Cruise passenger tests negative after Dunedin stop

A cruise ship passenger has tested negative for coronavirus after exhibiting symptoms on a ship that visited Dunedin yesterday. 

Princess Cruises confirmed to Stuff the passenger onboard the Golden Princess had shown signs of respiratory problems but had been cleared of the virus Sunday evening. 

However, the Ministry of Health has been unable to confirm the negative test. 

Three passengers on board the cruise ship that visited Dunedin on Saturday were being held in quarantine.

The Golden Princess berthed at Akaroa on Sunday.

At a media briefing this afternoon Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said two of those three were identified as being close contacts of a confirmed case.

The contact occurred before they began the cruise, he said.

One of the passengers developed symptoms, which were treated as a suspected case and all those on board the Golden Princess are not allowed off until the test results are known.

Bloomfield said health authorities were looking at the planning and response needed should a positive case be identified on the cruise ship.

Canterbury DHB medical officer of health Dr Ramon Pink said the public health team was taking a precautionary approach.

All three passengers were in quarantine, and the cruise ship company had been very cooperative, Pink said.

"We realise this is disappointing news for other passengers and tourism/hospitality operators in Akaroa and Canterbury who were expecting to host the passengers today.

"We cannot risk the potential further spread if this person tests positive.

"Two of the three people isolated have been in contact with a confirmed case in the past 14 days."

• If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs)

On Saturday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced all cruise ships would be banned from coming to New Zealand until June 30.

It's not clear if the ban would have applied to the Golden Princess, which would have been en route to Akaroa when the restrictions were announced.

All 18 ships that travel under the Princess Cruises brand have been halted for two months due to the spread of Covid-19, operator Carnival announced on March 12.

Ardern said today that the Government and police can enforce self-isolation if necessary.

Yesterday she announced that any person from any country, excluding the Pacific islands, is now required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to New Zealand and encouraged all Kiwis to avoid all non-essential travel overseas.

As well as affecting thousands of people's travel plans, the move is expected to significantly impact Kiwis' jobs and New Zealand economy.

This morning Ardern sought to calm fears about whether people would self-isolate properly, saying that the 10,500 New Zealanders who had done it so far had been overly compliant, with some staying home for more than 14 days.

But she said authorities, including police, had the power to quarantine people at a medical facility and station staff at the door. That power had not been used so far, she told TVNZ's Q+A this morning.

The Government has been constantly looking at global developments, and the new restrictions unveiled on Saturday were the next step to "go hard" to flatten the curve.

The goal was to avoid a large-scale community spread of the virus, and the new travel restrictions were about keeping pressure off the public health system as the number of positive cases rose.

- RNZ and NZ Herald