New Zealand which reported only 22 coronavirus deaths, was among the first in the world to end all restrictions after announcing it did not have any active cases, but has seen a small number of new cases in the last few days.

"We are extending the current cruise ship ban which was due to expire on the 30th of June," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news conference.

Cargo vessels will still be permitted to load and unload, to unload and resupply fishing vessels, and vessels that come to New Zealand to undertake repairs and refitting, Ardern said, although some quarantine rules will be tightened.

New Zealand reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number of active cases to nine, both in managed isolation facilities.

All reported cases are people who live in quarantine facilities after entering the country, and no proof of community transmission has been found to date.

The government came under pressure after a slip-up allowed two women with coronavirus to move around the country, and last week Ardern called for quarantine facilities to be supervised in military.

"For a person to meet the low-risk indicator by day 14 to leave isolation or quarantine, they are expressly required to submit to a test and that test must be negative," Ardern said at the news conference.

Maritime Business World