WHACK A MOLE

New Zealand Reports 25 New Cases of Coronavirus, Mostly From Foreign Fishing Crews

Virus pops back up again after all domestic restrictions have been lifted.

New Zealand has recorded 25 new cases of coronavirus, the biggest daily toll the country has reported since the height of its initial outbreak in March and April. Eighteen of the infections were discovered by border patrols: Russian and Ukrainian fishing crews who had arrived on a charter flight from Moscow days earlier. The two new community-spread cases were contacts of a port worker whose case was reported Sunday. It was the first instance of community transmission in New Zealand, where all domestic restrictions have been lifted, since Sept. 25. Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health, said: “Putting our cases today in perspective, yesterday Spain announced around 48,000 new cases, and that would be the equivalent in New Zealand of around 4,000 new cases [by population size]. We are not being complacent at the border and all New Zealanders need to make sure they are not complacent in the community.” Only New Zealanders and their families are permitted to enter the country without special permission. All arrivals must spend two weeks in government quarantine, during which they are tested twice for the virus.