New Zealand's Ministry of Health on Monday has confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in the community in more than two months.

The 56-year-old woman, who returned from Europe on December 30, tested positive after leaving a two-week mandatory quarantine in Auckland where she had twice tested negative, according to Health Minister Chris Hipkins. 

Whole genome sequencing results for the woman showed that she had contracted the variant first detected in South Africa and the case is linked to another guest who was in the managed isolation facility, the statement added. 

Authorities were looking at whether the virus was spreading through the ventilation and air conditioning systems in these facilities, Hipkins said.