Two women who travelled from the UK to a 'coronavirus-free' New Zealand have tested positive for the disease. The two women in their 30s and 40s had travelled from Britain to visit a dying parent in Wellington on June 7, the director general of health said in a news conference.
Both had gone into quarantine in Auckland after landing, but had been given special permission to leave on compassionate grounds, even though one had symptoms which she attributed to a pre-existing condition.
They tested positive after they returned to quarantine. The new cases ended a 24-day streak of no new infections in the country.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has enjoyed enormous popularity for her success at ridding the country of coronavirus infection,