Two Travelers Expose Hundreds after Break in New Zealand Quarantine System

New Zealand Skyline

New Zealand, whose response to the novel coronavirus pandemic is considered a model for other nations, announced that missteps in its system of quarantine for international travelers have resulted in the potential exposure of hundreds.

According to New Zealand’s pandemic travel restrictions, international travelers are mandated to remain in quarantine for two weeks and be tested twice for Covid-19. The Guardian reported that two British travelers were permitted to leave their Auckland hotel room prior to the two-week mark to visit a dying relative, and subsequently embarked on an 8-hour drive to the relative’s location. New Zealand officials reported that the pair were not tested for Covid-19 prior to leaving their hotel, and further, were briefly in close physical proximity with two friends after they left.

New Zealand has reopened its country -with the exception of controls on international travel- and the friends of the British travelers have potentially exposed hundreds, according to the Guardian. The New Zealand military will now oversee and audit the quarantine system to prevent further lapses.
Johns Hopkins data show that New Zealand has reported 1,506 confirmed Covid-19 cases and just 22 deaths as of this writing. The per capita incidence rate of New Zealand, population of 4.9 million, is 31 per 100,000. Alabama, a U.S. state of 4.9 million, has an incidence rate of about 548 per 100,000.

Katie Pincura, DrPh, MPH, MA

Katie Pincura, DrPH, MA, MPH is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Western Carolina University, College of Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences. Dr. Pincura is a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Her research focuses on the intersection of healthcare policy and public health.

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