Immigration New Zealand says it’s cracking down hard on anyone arriving in the country who fails to self-isolate upon their arrival.
The stark message comes after two tourists from South-East Asia will face being deported for failing to comply with self-isolation rules.
Anyone coming into the country – visitors and Kiwis alike – must self-isolate for 14 days, except those from the Pacific Islands.
The two people – one of whom had checked into a Christchurch backpackers – are currently being quarantined.
INZ’s compliance and verification general manager Stephen Vaughan says the behaviour of the tourists is completely unacceptable.
“This will send a very, very strong message to people that this kind of behaviour is completely irresponsible, and we won’t tolerate it, and that’s why these individuals have been made liable for deportation,” he told 1 NEWS.
The tourists are now likely to be deported, Immigration New Zealand announced tonight.
If the pair fail to depart after quarantine, they will be arrested and detained under the Immigration Act.
There are 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with four people testing positive yesterday.
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