WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Saturday night that she was self-isolating after coming into close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.
The exposure occurred on a flight from the city of Kerikeri to Auckland, the largest in the country. New Zealand Governor General Cindy Kiro, who was also on the January 22 flight, is also in self-quarantine.
Both politicians visited the northern region for a recording before the national holiday, Waitangi Day, on February 6.
“The prime minister is asymptomatic and doing well,” her office said in a statement. “In line with the Health Ministry’s recommendation, she will undergo a test immediately tomorrow and be in isolation until Tuesday.”
Health authorities have flagged a dozen flights as possible outbreaks, in a possible indication that one or more cabin crew members were infected.
Genome sequencing will be completed on Sunday and is expected to show that the infected person had the new omicron variant, they added.
New Zealand has managed to eradicate or contain the virus for much of the pandemic, reporting just 52 deaths in a population of 5 million people. But it is beginning to suffer an outbreak of omicron, more contagious than previous variants, which is expected to skyrocket the number of cases in the coming weeks.
Around 77% of the New Zealand population is fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. The figure rises to 93% of those over 12 years of age, according to local authorities.
