A rumoured suspected case of coronavirus in Wellington is partly to blame for the last-minute cancellation of a mosque open day in the city.
Mayor Andy Foster refused to confirm there was a suspected case in the capital and would only say there had been other suspected cases that turned out to be false alarms.
The reason for the cancellation of the March 15 shooting anniversary event at Kilbirnie Mosque was because it was unticketed, meaning there was no way to track people if a case was later discovered, Foster said.
President of the International Muslim Association of NZ, Tahir Nawaz, on Sunday morning confirmed an open day planned for the Kilbirnie Mosque on Sunday in Wellington was cancelled.
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The day had been planned to go ahead until he made the call, after speaking to Foster, about midnight - just hours before doors were due to open.
"Everyone was ready to go but at the same time, the message we are hearing, there could be a patient in Wellington," he said.
A Capital and Coast District Health Board spokesperson referred enquiries to the Ministry of Health.
