Seven ill on cruise ship in Tauranga, Ministry of Health says no coronavirus risk

A cruise ship with seven sick people on board has docked in Tauranga but the Ministry of Health says there's no coronavirus risk.

Voyager of the Seas docked in Tauranga on Monday morning after being diverted from Vanuatu due to illness onboard, SunLive reported.

Seven people on the ship were ill with influenza or gastroenteritis, a Ministry of Health statement said.

"Our current assessment is that there is no risk from Covid-19 [coronavirus]."

Those on the ship had followed standard notification processes and the passengers were being managed appropriately, the Ministry said.

Any time a cruise ship comes to its first port in New Zealand, i must confirm no-one on board has any illness, a statement from Toi Te Ora Public Health medical officer of health Dr Phil Shoemack said.

"Reported cases of any illness are followed up appropriately by public health staff," he said.

"The Port of Tauranga is the busiest port in NZ and the same processes that are in place now are in place every day of the year."

The port is expecting several cruise ships each week until the end of the local cruise ship season in mid-April.

Bay of Plenty Tourism chief executive Kristin Dunne told SunLive there were strict health and safety protocols for cruise ships.

"I would like to reassure the community that the cruise industry has extensive experience and protocols for managing the health and wellbeing of their guests, and the host communities."

She urged Tauranga locals to show manaakitanga for people on what could be the holiday of a lifetime for those on board the ship.