April 07, 2020
Returning travellers given isolation plans
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The Health Ministry’s deputy Director-General Māori says there are stringent rules in place to ensure returning travellers don’t spread the coronavirus.
Groups operating checkpoints in Te Tairāwhiti have expressed concern about whānau returning home without spending 14 days in isolation in Auckland.
John Whaanga says anyone who comes into the country diagnosed with COVID-19 or with symptoms is put in enforced quarantine.
Other travellers are given health checks, and they must have an approved self-isolation plan.
"So these are people going to their homes. They are to go directly to their homes. They are to be picked up by somebody, a family member who is in that bubble. There can only be one person and it has to be in a private vehicle. They have to go directly home and then they have to show that they can live in self-isolation for 14 days. Now that self-isolation means over and above the lockdown, they are not able to access essential services either," he says.
Mr Whaanga says any returning travellers are monitored by both health authorities and police.
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