A vaccinated New Zealand airport worker tested positive for COVID-19 one day after the country opened a travel bubble with Australia

Advertisement
A vaccinated New Zealand airport worker tested positive for COVID-19 one day after the country opened a travel bubble with Australia
A passenger arriving to Sydney, Australia, from Auckland, New Zealand.James D. Morgan/Getty Images
  • Australia and New Zealand opened a quarantine-free travel bubble on Monday.
  • A New Zealand airport worker tested positive for COVID-19 a day after.
  • But New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said "all signs" suggest the case isn't connected to new travellers.
Advertisement

A fully vaccinated airport worker in New Zealand has tested positive for the coronavirus a day after the country opened a travel bubble with Australia.

The bubble launched on Monday, allowing people to travel between the two countries without quarantine because both nations have recorded relatively few coronavirus cases.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told journalists about the positive case on Tuesday, but said that "all signs point" to the case not being connected to the travellers from Australia.

She said the worker had cleaned planes coming from high-risk countries, according to The Guardian.

Ardern also indicated the case will not prompt any review or pause in the system, and some cases were expected from the new bubble.

Advertisement

People can still test positive after vaccination because no shot is 100% effective against preventing COVID-19, and can take a while to kick in.

{{}}