5 Mar 2020

Coronavirus: Air New Zealand stands cabin crews down

2:25 pm on 5 March 2020

Air New Zealand has stood down cabin crew from three flights after a passenger was found to have been infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Air New Zealand's flight NZ1942 touches down on kiwi soil. It is the Air New Zealand flight chartered by the government to evacuate people from Wuhan during the coronavirus outbreak.

(File photo) Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook

The airline said the crews would also be self-isolating for a fortnight as a precaution.

It comes after a woman travelled from Milan to Singapore on Singapore Airlines and then on to Auckland in February on Air New Zealand.

She took an internal flight to Palmerston North and back to Auckland a week later.

Her diagnosis was confirmed on Tuesday night.

A spokesperson for the airline said it was updating staff regularly and giving them information on best ways to protect themsevles.

Singapore Airlines also asked pilots and cabin crew who were on the Milan-to-Singapore flight with the woman to take leave.

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