This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
June 18, 2020 - New Zealand's bid to become one of the first countries to eliminate COVID-19 has hit a snag with the recording of new coronavirus cases, just days after the country declared itself free of the virus.
The new cases, which include a man in his 60s who flew in from Lahore in Pakistan, via Doha and Melbourne on June 11, have raised questions about the effectiveness of the country's quarantine measures.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called in the military to oversee the facilities and manage border defences, following the revelation that two women who had arrived from Britain and were given permission to leave quarantine early on compassionate grounds tested positive.
Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has apologized for the situation, saying, 'I know the case of these two women will have upset people … I am certainly upset by it.'
As a result of the new cases, the government has suspended all exemptions to quarantine rules and said no one is to leave the isolated hotels where people are kept unless they have been tested.
Contact tracing is underway for the hundreds of people who may have come into contact with the new cases.
