NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Coronavirus: Third case is Auckland man whose family returned from Iran

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
4 Mar, 2020 11:49 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Focus Live: Third NZ coronavirus case is Auckland man in his 40s whose family recently travelled to Iran

New Zealand's third coronavirus case is a man in Auckland in his 40s, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

He has close family members who have returned to New Zealand after spending time in Iran recently.

Two schools, Auckland Grammar and Ormiston Junior College, have been notified as there is a family member at each of those schools.

These students are now at home in isolation. They have no symptoms.

There is no risk to students or staff in either of the schools.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There has been more than 95,000 cases of the virus reported in the world - more than 51,000 have recovered. Just over 3200 people have died.

The travelling family member believed to have passed the virus to the Auckland man was a "probable" case but was no longer showing any symptoms, Bloomfield said.

It was "very likely" this person did, in fact, have coronavirus before recovering, but the ministry will not be retesting them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In terms of the numbers at this stage, there are three people confirmed with coronavirus, with a fourth probable case.

The third case was reported to the ministry at 6pm last night.

He said the chance of wide-spread community outbreak remains low.

Bloomfield said the man does not require hospital level care, and is in self-isolation.

Discover more

New Zealand

Ministry of Health: No new cases, 'monitoring new coronavirus threat'

10 Feb 01:27 AM
New Zealand|politics

Coronavirus: Government commits $3 million to combat outbreak

24 Feb 12:59 AM
New Zealand|politics

Coronavirus tests: NZ pair show symptoms 'consistent with Covid-19'

02 Mar 04:00 PM
Energy

Opportunity knocks: Which company directors bought shares this week

05 Mar 04:46 AM

The man's family remains in self-isolation too. The man's partner, who has been unwell, is also being tested.

The man himself has not travelled to Iran – but his family did.

The family member, who travelled back from Iran, presumably had coronavirus – but they recovered, Bloomfield said.

However, they did pass it on to the man in his 40s.

The family member who was in Iran does not have coronavirus.

The family was on flight QR 0920 from Doha which departed February 22 and arrived in Auckland on February 23.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In addition to proactive tracing of close contacts on this flight by public health staff, contact will be made with everyone on the flight to provide relevant information. A reminder: close contacts are people who were in the same row of seats, the two rows in front and the two rows behind.

Healthline knows the seat numbers and will be able to advise anyone on the flight, whether they are considered a close or casual contact.

Anyone who was on this flight and is concerned or would like information should contact the Healthline number 0800 358 5453. Interpreters are available.

Other people who have been in contact with the man have been asked to self-isolate.

Seven people are under investigation for the virus.

The ministry can do 550 tests a day, but that will be upped to almost 1000 within the coming weeks.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bloomfield said the ministry would not be disclosing which medical centre the man went to.

Meanwhile, six people who were in quarantine in Whangaparāoa after being on the Diamond Princess cruise ship have been released to go home. None of them had coronavirus.

READ MORE:
• Ministry of Health: No new case, 'monitoring new coronavirus threat'
• Coronavirus tests: NZ pair showing symptoms 'consistent with Covid-19'
• Coronavirus: Government commits $3 million to combat Covid-19 outbreak
• Hundreds register for self-isolation as coronavirus outbreak worsens

The ministry is making more moves to bolster how it handles surveillance from coronavirus.

Bloomfield called out "keyboard warriors" who have been critical of families who have been impacted by the disease.

He said people should not be criticised from coming forward.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We don't want to be counter-productive and discourage people from coming forward."

Bloomfield said the Government was going "very well" when it comes to the contract tracing for the second coronavirus case.

The testing of the partner of the second person who contracted the disease is under way and will be made public later in the day.

He again urged people to call Health Line if they have symptoms.

Katrina Casey of the Ministry of Education said the Government was focused on prevention.

Material about the virus is being sent to schools today.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said it was important that schools know what's going on.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this morning deferred any detailed comment on the matter to Bloomfield.

From now on, Bloomfield and his officials will have a 1pm briefing every day to provide details of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and what his ministry is doing in terms of containment.

The latest figures from the World Health Organisation show there are now almost 95,000 cases of Covid-19 in 81 countries around the world.

More than 3100 people have died; more than 51,000 have recovered.

Speaking to media this morning, Ardern called for calm.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The most important thing people can do is if they are sick, stay home."

She said New Zealand has "significant capacity" for testing for Covid-19 – up to 550 people a day can be tested.

She said New Zealand's hospitals can cope with the outbreak.

"Our public health system is designed for [an outbreak] like this."

Ardern highlighted New Zealand's "world-class" health system which she said was geared up to deal with the outbreak.

"I have every faith in our system."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

Herald NOW

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

Herald NOW

Northland braces for heavy rain and squally thunderstorms

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

StraitNZ CEO Shane McMahon talks to Herald NOW about Bluebridge's new ferry Livia which arrives in Wellington on Thursday after a six-week journey from Europe.

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

Northland braces for heavy rain and squally thunderstorms

Northland braces for heavy rain and squally thunderstorms

Herald NOW: Daily News Update: July 3 2025

Herald NOW: Daily News Update: July 3 2025

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP