Coronavirus: More people tested for virus in New Zealand

Two more people in New Zealand are being tested and authorities are "highly suspicious" they have contracted coronavirus, the director-general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.

About 146 tests, on people all around the country, had come back negative and 12 were under investigation, he said.

Of the latter, two tests were now recorded as being "close to the suspect case definition", with results due back soon.

This meant they fulfilled the travel criteria and had symptoms associated with Covid-19, Bloomfield said.

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He did not know anything about the individuals, such as if the two cases were related or where they were located. 

Results had been expected back late on Monday but it would now likely be Tuesday. "If it is positive we will be notified directly and we will be notifying the public promptly," he said.

The cases were not from the same plane as the person currently being treated for the virus. 

Earlier, Nelson-Marlborough Health confirmed that two people from the region were being monitored for any signs they have contracted coronavirus.

A health board spokesperson said those two were passengers on the Emirates flight from Dubai to Auckland, via Bali, on which a traveller was confirmed on Friday as having the virus.

Bloomfield said passengers who had been on the same flight would only be tested if they showed symptom.

Meanwhile, the country's coronavirus travel restrictions have been extended. China and Iran have had their travel restrictions extended for another week. 

People entering the country from South Korea and northern Italy will also be told to go into self-isolation when they arrive.

"China remains the largest single source of COVID-19 cases and while information out of Iran is variable, there is clearly ongoing community transmission there," said health minister David Clark. 

He said the new restrictions were "based on an expert assessment of risk". 

"It recognises that while there are outbreaks in both countries they also have well developed health systems, and the outbreaks are largely located in specific regions," Clark said. 

"We know self-isolation works. It is a longstanding and successful approach to managing infectious diseases – and has proved its worth again in recent weeks," he said.

The Government had contacted all but ten of the people on the Emirates flight to New Zealand that carried the country's first confirmed coronavirus patient.

Those ten people were not seated near to the patient.