Only half of arrivals checked

Stuff reports:

A gap in New Zealand’s armour has seen more than 20 people arrive in the country from Australia without the mandated pre-departure test – including one who had recently been in New South Wales.

While all of these people were caught at the New Zealand border and most sent into a managed isolation hotel there is significant concern that others will have slipped through the cracks, as New Zealand border officials are only checking half of arrivals for their test results.

Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins blamed “capacity constraints” for this situation and said New Zealand was looking to check more people as soon as possible.

It’s understood officials within the Covid-19 response team see this issue as the biggest risk to New Zealand’s current Covid-free status.

Unbelievable. They opened up the borders without the capacity to check everyone arriving.