But for New Zealand and the Cook Islands it does. With a 2.5km runway at just above sea level it can likely handle 737, 777, 787 and A320 aircraft. Of the seven which have made their way to humans, three are killers (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 which causes Covid). Open freely to the Cook Islands and, selectively and carefully, to the rest of the world soon. • Dr John Dunn is a New Zealand based Cook Islander, resort owner and visiting surgeon to Rarotonga Hospital.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 22, 2021 06:11 UTC