'It's appalling' - National leader slams 'shambolic' border controls after two Covid-19 cases let into NZ

June 17, 2020

The National Party leader says he is appalled two women from the UK were allowed to drive around the country while infected with Covid-19.

National Party Leader Todd Muller has slammed border controls for being managed in "a shambolic way" after two women with Covid-19 were let into the country.

He told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning he was appalled the women, who were from the UK, were allowed to travel around the country, driving from Auckland to Wellington, with Covid-19.

Yesterday, it was announced New Zealand had  two new cases of Covid-19  for the first time in weeks.  

The women, one in her 30s and one in her 40s, arrived in New Zealand together on June 7 and stayed in managed isolation in a hotel in Auckland.


They were permitted on compassionate grounds to travel to Wellington in a private vehicle on June 13 to see a parent who was ill and has since died.

The news broke a 24-day streak without any new cases, and a seven-day streak without any active cases in the country. 

The two women from the same family recently arrived in the country from the UK.

"It's appalling. I suspect New Zealand's waking up incredibly frustrated, if not angry, and I share it," Mr Muller said today.

"We have these processes put in place by the Government and the officials and we expect them to be followed, and the idea that people could just be, in this case too, could just be let out without following the protocols is completely unacceptable. It's putting the country at risk. It's putting thousands of jobs at risk. It needs to be fixed immediately."

Mr Muller said the main breach was that a person in managed isolation who qualifies for a special exemption must test negative for the virus.

Professor Des Gorman from Auckland University gives his thoughts.

"To me, that's a pretty basic first step. It wasn't followed and they were just let out to travel on. I mean, that's way too lax. We've spent far too much focus and time and cost as a country through this lockdown to now, once we've got ourselves in a position of Covid-free, to have a border that is being managed in a shambolic way," Mr Muller said.

He also criticised the Avatar film crew being allowed in and "freely mingling in hotels where supposedly there's managed isolation".

"It doesn't give me confidence. It doesn't give New Zealand confidence."

Yesterday, 1 NEWS revealed groups from Auckland’s Crowne Plaza Hotel were coming into close contact with the public.

Yesterday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he was adding a rule that any person leaving an isolation facility needs to have returned a negative Covid-19 test.

He said the only person at risk from the pair was the family member who was in close contact with them.

"They had no contact with anyone else. They did not use any public facilities and were with a single family member."

As a result testing has begun for everyone the pair came into contact with.

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