New Zealand has another new Covid-19 case.

The man is in his 60s and is now in a quarantine facility in Auckland - the Jet Park Hotel.

He flew from Pakistan to Doha and on to Melbourne on June 11, and then to Auckland on Flight NZ124 on June 13.

The man wore a mask on the flight.

He developed symptoms on June 15.

The Ministry of Health is in the process of contacting all people on the flight.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield is currently holding a press conference in Wellington.

We now 1157 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - 1507 in total, including probable cases.

It was revealed on Tuesday that two sisters who later tested positive for the virus were allowed to leave managed isolation in Auckland to travel to Wellington after their mother had died.

After interviews with contact tracing staff, 313 close contacts of the pair have been identified and tested including other people in the hotel in which they had been isolating and other passengers and crew on their flight from Brisbane.

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After leaving the hotel, the two women had contact with two friends who have also isolated themselves and have been tested. One has had a negative result and the other is still waiting for her result.

The public health unit routinely do follow up interviews, especially in a situation where people are distressed, he said.

Neither woman recalled they had brief physical contact with anyone and so the public health unit didn't feel the need to report that.

"When I found that out, I followed up," Bloomfield said.

"As soon as I became clear of what had happened, I released a statement last night.

"Yes, the situation has changed, and I've been open about that."

Bloomfield said clearly the ministry team and staff and many people working across the health system and are very committed to keeping New Zealanders safe.

"The case of these two women will have upset people, I am certainly upset by it," he said.

"I apologise that we've ended up in this position," Bloomfield said.

"I have instructed that no one is to leave the managed isolated hotels unless they have been tested," Bloomfield said.

He said he had not gone back to check with the women if anything else had been missed but said the public health unit had.

Bloomfield confirmed the two women took the wrong motorway and headed north "partly due to the stressful circumstances on them".

"They ended up travelling north, rather than south which if you haven't lived in Auckland can be done."

He said one of the people who went to help the duo had put their "arm around them" and said that was the only contact they had.

Bloomfield is also expected to face further questions about when he and health officials first suspected that the pair's story that they had had no contact during their car journey was not true.

National MP Michael Woodhouse revealed yesterday afternoon that they had met up with friends after getting lost on their way out of Auckland.

That was subsequently confirmed last night by the Ministry of Health.

Before that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Bloomfield repeatedly told the public that the pair had had no contact with others on their drive south.

Ardern yesterday announced that Air Commodore Digby Webb would be placed in command of the managed isolation regime.

Compassionate leave for anyone in quarantine or managed isolation has been suspended.

Blookfield announced on June 9 that all people in isolation and quarantine would be tested at three days and 12 days - just before their release at 14 days.

That appears to have been honoured more in the breach.

Bloomfield says he has apologised to Ardern and Clark for the failures of the system.