The woman arrived in Perth on an Air New Zealand flight yesterday and was moved to a quarantine hotel.
About an hour into the Air New Zealand flight as the plane flew across the Tasman the airline realised the woman had breached the bubble and reported it to authorities.
State health officials said she will undergo a COVID-19 test while in quarantine, but said she is unlikely to test positive.
“The World Health Organisation is reporting zero cases of COVID-19 in the Cook Islands from 3 January 2020 to 29 April 2021. Therefore it is very unlikely the passenger could have COVID-19,” the Health Department said.
The other passengers on the flight were allowed to leave in the usual way and the Health Department said PPE and cleaning measures were “standard practice” on the plane and at the airport.
The one-way bubble between the Cook Islands and New Zealand doesn’t require isolation on arrival but does require a stay of at least 14 days before transiting to another country.
However, in the case of the woman it did not happen.
Last month, all travel between New Zealand and Western Australia was briefly paused due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Perth.
This content first appear on 9news