New Zealand reaffirms travel restrictions as precaution against COVID-19

The New Zealand government confirmed on Monday that travel restrictions currently in place for China and Iran will continue for a further week, while people entering the country from South Korea and northern Italy will be told to go into self-isolation.

"The international situation with the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to evolve rapidly. Our priority remains protecting the health and safety of the public," Ministry of Health David Clark said in a statement.

Travel restrictions continue to be an important part of the comprehensive response, Clark said, adding China remains the largest single source of COVID-19 cases and while information out of Iran is variable, there is clearly ongoing community transmission there.

"It makes sense to use temporary travel restrictions to limit the potential spread of the disease from both countries," he said.

However, Clark said there are also concerning outbreaks in northern Italy and South Korea. As a result, anyone who has been in those regions in the last 14 days will be registered for self-isolation upon arrival in New Zealand.

New Zealand confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on Friday as a woman arrived in the country on Wednesday from Iran, via Indonesia's Bali. She was treated in an Auckland hospital.

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