Coronavirus: New Zealand Steel tells staff an employee has been diagnosed with Covid-19

An Auckland steel company has sent a letter to staff saying one of its employees has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

New Zealand has four confirmed cases of the virus – all in Auckland.

They include a person who travelled from Iran, a mother in her 30s who travelled from Italy and the first locally transmitted case – a man in his 40s – whose family recently travelled from Iran.

The woman in her 30s says her husband is the country's fourth case, having recently tested positive for the virus.

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Health officials confirmed this on Friday morning.

In a letter to its team, New Zealand Steel, which owns Glenbrook Steel Mill in south Auckland's Waiuku, said it was advised one of its employees has been confirmed positive for Covid-19.

"We are pleased to advise that the affected employee has confirmed that they are not seriously ill and are in isolation at home."

The letter said the company is working directly with the Ministry of Health, and the practices it has put in place are consistent with the ministry's recommendations.

NZ Steel said it will be contacting and working with employees that had primary contact with the person diagnosed with the virus.

"On advice from the Ministry of Health, primary contact is currently defined as direct face to face contact for more than 15 minutes or working in close proximity in a confined area for more than 2 hours."

The company could confirm the employee had not been in any plant operating areas or the cafeteria, the letter said.

NZ Steel has been contacted for comment.