Covid-19: Three new cases of Omicron in MIQ in New Zealand

New Zealand has three new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 among its latest international arrivals.

The three cases arrived in Auckland from Dubai on December 11 and were transported to a Rotorua MIQ facility on a bus chartered for international arrivals.

One of the cases travelled to Dubai from London, another one from Spain and a third one from Nigeria. They all boarded the same flight in Dubai to Auckland.

None of these three cases are linked to the first Omicron case reported yesterday, in a Christchurch MIQ facility.

A statement from the Ministry of Health (MOH) says the cases have been moved to the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland.

They will complete all ten days in an MIQ facility, rather than spending the last three days in self-isolation.

The statement from the MOH says the detection of these new Omicron cases is "not surprising" given the rapid spread of the variant overseas.

"Our health and MIQ teams around the country have been planning for Omicron cases at the border, and will continue to manage all arrivals cautiously," the ministry said in a statement this evening.