New Zealand officials point the finger as new coronavirus cases emerge

As new cases of coronavirus emerge in New Zealand public officials have begun pointing the finger over who is to blame.

Three new cases of coronavirus have been reported in a single day in New Zealand.

The cases come from two different cities, one from Rotorua and two from Christchurch, as government officials have begun publicly pointing the finger over botched plans to test returning travellers.

In a press conference this week, the country’s Health Minister David Clark blamed the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield for a botched testing regimen.

The regimen saw hundreds of returned travellers released into the community without undergoing a coronavirus test.

Mr Clark said Dr Bloomfield hadn’t followed the New Zealand protocol and “he has accepted responsibility for that” which was reported locally as him throwing his colleague “under the bus”.

The planned regimen would see all returned travellers quarantined for two weeks and tested twice over that period – however multiple travellers reported that they were only tested once, while others said they were never tested for the virus and were simply released into the community after being quarantined.

Newshub later reported more than 400 travellers were released without being tested.

The news comes after Dr Bloomfield conceded there “may be more” cases of COVID-19 after the Rotorua case was traced back to a traveller who’d been travelling on crowded buses in the city.

It’s a blow for the country, who implemented harsh lockdown measures early and celebrated success in June, when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared, “We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern previously said she was confident New Zealand had eliminated transmission of coronavirus. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

The three new cases are being managed in isolation, according to the The New Zealand Herald.

The case from Rotorua, a woman in her 30s from Peru, is now staying at an Ibis hotel in the city.

The hotel’s guests are also now undergoing testing as fears grow the virus could have spread further.

The woman also caught a crowded bus from Auckland to Rotorua, and health authorities are working to contact trace anyone who may have come into contact with her, along with the driver.

Another case in the country was a man in his 70s who flew into the country on June 20. The third case was a man in his 30s who flew to New Zealand from India.

They are both staying in hotel quarantine in Christchurch.