A barber in Auckland has temporarily closed his business after he discovered he was on the same flight as New Zealand's first confirmed coronavirus patient.
Calab Vincent-Goncalves says he wouldn't have even known he was on the same flight as the person infected if a friend didn't see it in the news. He said the lack of contact from the health department and the airline is a concern.
"Every person on that flight is a potential carrier and we are just letting them slip through the system instead of acting fast to ensure this does not spread."
The infected traveller flew into New Zealand on Wednesday, February 26, from Tehran, Iran via Bali on Emirates flight EK450. The patient is receiving treatment in isolation at Auckland Hospital. Health officials are advising any concerned travellers to contact Healthline.
Vincent-Goncalves, owner of Vinny's, a barber shop in Auckland's Mount Albert, isn't experiencing any of the symptoms - a fever, cough or difficulty breathing - but thought limiting contact is "the right thing to do", despite the impact it will have on his business.
"I've decided because of the fact I am in close contact with people all day, the responsible thing to do is close down until I know for sure.
"It will hurt my business and I don't know how I'll pay rent and my bills but I won't take the chance of possibly passing something onto people. Maybe it's overly cautious but [I] feel it's the right thing to do."
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He is self-quaranting and will be visiting the doctor on Monday to be tested. He says he will remain in isolation until he receives the results.
The Ministry of Health issued an alert to passengers, advising them to contact Healthline if they had any concerns. Only the people who were sitting in the same row as the patient, or in the two rows ahead and behind, will be directly contacted. The crew will also be tested.
Vincent-Goncalves didn't believe this was acceptable because the infected person would have most likely moved about the cabin, gone to the bathroom and had contact with cabin crew.
"In my opinion, every person on that flight should be contacted ... that's what the flight manifest ... is for, emergencies like this."
During the flight, he hadn't noticed anyone presenting symptoms, appearing sick or wearing protective face masks.
He phoned Healthline immediately on Friday, and was told he was the first one to do so. They recommend he isolate himself. The two people he lives with aren't believed to be at risk.
Overall, he thinks the Government's plan to stop COVID-19 breaching New Zealand borders isn't up to standard.
"Our only checks are at Customs, asking people if they have been to China, and that's [it]."
Strict border controls are still in place preventing visitors coming from or travelling through mainland China from entering the country. As of Friday, Iran is now on this list.
