Covid-19: Cook Islands records another positive case from New Zealand – Stuff.co.nz

The Cook Islands is reporting a fourth person who has tested positive for Covid-19.

The case is a New Zealand-based Cook Islander who arrived in Rarotonga for a family funeral on February 15 on-board an Air NZ flight.

Health Ministry Te Marae Ora (TMO) confirmed the case tested positive on Thursday from a sibling who had tested positive in New Zealand.

The case went to the airport to be tested with a rapid antigen test (RAT), returning a positive result.

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RYAN ANDERSON/Stuff

A New Zealand-based Cook Islander is the fourth case in the island nation to have tested positive for Covid-19. (File photo)

Health officials have advised the case to return to where they were staying at their family home for a 10-day isolation order with their four household contacts.

Four close contacts at the household have been tested with PCR tests, with only the case testing positive.

The positive case and three of the adults are fully vaccinated, with the young contact with their first vaccine dose.

An additional 16 close contacts have been identified, connected through the family funeral the case attended on Wednesday.

Ryan Anderson/Stuff

The government has announced an extension of suspension travel on outer islands. (File photo)

Health officials said contact tracing has also identified 18 potential close contacts on the Air NZ flight NZ946, with all of them now quarantining.

Two of the 18 close contacts are quarantining in an island outside of Rarotonga, Aitutaki. They have received negative RAT and PCR tests.

Due to the new positive case, the Cook Islands government has announced an extension to their suspension of passenger travel to the rest of the Pa Enua (other islands) to midnight of February 23.

The government has yet to make a decision on passenger travel to Aitutaki.

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Covid-19: Cook Islands records another positive case from New Zealand - Stuff.co.nz