Several members of a flight crew that travelled from Australia to New Zealand have been identified as close contacts of an Omicron case across the Tasman.
The Ministry of Health said on Tuesday said the crew members arrived in New Zealand on Monday night and are in a MIQ facility, as per standard international air crew arrival procedure.
New Zealand has yet to record a community case of the Omicron variant thanks to the tight border restrictions, yet it is spreading quickly across the globe.
On Tuesday (NZ time), the UK announced the first death of a person with Omicron. It comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the nation needed to prepare for a "tidal wave" of Omicron cases over the holiday period.
New South Wales recorded 804 new Covid cases on Tuesday, a 10-week high and a large jump from the 536 detected in the community on Monday.
On Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government would have a “check-in” with health officials early in the New Year to discuss the threat of Omicron and the effect it may have on the country’s plans to ease border restrictions.
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