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New Zealand orders military to watch over borders after quarantine bungle allowed coronavirus back in
- A 24-day run with no new cases was broken on Tuesday when it emerged two women from Britain had been allowed out of quarantine early without testing
- The pair were eventually found to be infected, but only after they made a 650 kilometre road-trip from Auckland to Wellington to see a dying relative
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered the military to oversee the country’s borders on Wednesday after a bungle that allowed two people with coronavirus to leave quarantine.
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A 24-day run with no new cases was broken on Tuesday when it emerged two women who recently arrived from Britain were allowed out of quarantine early without being tested for the virus, even though one had mild symptoms.
The pair were eventually swabbed and proved to be infected, but only after they made a 650 kilometre road-trip from Auckland to Wellington to see a dying relative.
Ardern said it was “absolutely nonsensical” they were not tested earlier and it was clear border controls needed to be tightened to prevent similar failures.
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She said Assistant Chief of Defence Digby Webb had been appointed to oversee border quarantine operations and was being given access to military personnel and logistical expertise.
“My view is that we need the rigour, we need the confidence, we need the discipline that the military can provide,” Ardern told reporters.
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