Main image via Malay Mail + Al Jazeera
After living for 24 straight days with no new COVID-19 cases, New Zealand has confirmed two new cases.
According to reports, the two new cases were imported from the UK when two women who arrived in New Zealand, were found to be infected with the virus.
Image via Malay Mail
Officials noted that the pair were released early from government quarantine and permitted to drive from Auckland to Wellington – nearly 650km away – before they were diagnosed or tested.
The trip that the duo took was an approved exemption from the mandatory isolation period for new arrivals to the country as they were on their way to visit a dying parent.
Those who are permitted to leave the government-run isolations hotels on compassionate grounds are allowed to grieve with their families but not to attend funerals.
New Zealand’s director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield stated that the women had “done everything right” and had not put other members of the public at risk.
Image via RNZ
Unfortunately, the new confirmed cases have forced New Zealand’s government to suspend its policy of granting compassionate exemptions to its quarantine rules.
“It will only be reinstated once the government has confidence in the system,” said health minister David Clark in a statement.
Officials announced that in the future, no one would be allowed to leave quarantine facilities without a negative COVID-19 test.
Image via My Vue News
Prior to the confirmation of the two new cases, New Zealand had reported zero new cases for the past 24 days, with its last known positive case having recovered over a week ago.
Just a week ago, all domestic restrictions on the country were lifted. Only New Zealanders, their families, and essential workers are currently allowed to cross the border and all new arrivals to the country are required to spend two weeks in managed isolation at a hotel.
The women had arrived in Auckland on a flight from the UK via Brisbane, Australia on 7th June but after six days, the duo travelled “in a private vehicle” from Auckland to Wellington after they were granted a compassionate exemption to do so and had made a safety plan with officials, the director-general said.
The pair who had not been tested for the virus at the time, made the 650km drive and had not stopped to refuel their vehicle or disembark for any reason, including to use public toilets.
“They had no contact with anybody else during that trip,” the director-general added.
He added that he was “not nervous” that the women had infected anyone else, and noted that the duo would now remain in self-isolation with a relative in Wellington.
Image via Transfercar
All passengers who were on the women’s flight – including the crew, and the staff and guests at the Novotel Ellerslie hotel in Auckland (where they were quarantined) will be tested and isolated.
The director-general however noted that the two women “did everything that was asked of them” and that it was “not surprising” that cases of the virus had entered New Zealand from the UK, where “active infections” remained.
“We should not be complacent, we need to remain vigilant,” he said. “There is a pandemic raging outside our shores.”
Image via Al Jazeera
With the RMCO in place in Malaysia and interstate travel allowed once again, it’s important that we all remain vigilant in these times and take all measures to stay safe and healthy.
Stay safe and stay updated with the latest COVID-19 news here: https://en.syok.my/covid-19
Info via The Guardian