Defence to oversee New Zealand coronavirus response after test blunder

Jacinda Ardern has put a defence force chief in charge of NZ’s COVID-19 quarantine system, saying she has lost confidence in her health department.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: ‘It is totally unacceptable that procedures we were advised were in place were not.’ Picture: Getty Images

A furious Jacinda Ardern has called in a defence force chief to run New Zealand’s COVID-19 quarantine system after saying she had lost confid­ence in her health department.

The New Zealand Prime Minister lamented an “unacceptable failure of the system” on Wednesday as two New Zealanders were allowed to leave their mandatory isolation without being tested for coronavirus, and then later both testing positive.

“It should not have happened and it cannot be repeated,” Ms Ardern said sternly.

The two citizens had been granted a compassionate exemption to their quarantine after ­returning from Britain in the hope of visiting an ill relative, who died before they were able to be reunited.

The citizens are now in self-­isolation, along with a third family member in Wellington.

The breach has forced the Ministry of Health to contact-trace 320 people who may have been expose­d to the virus, including passengers on a flight from Brisbane to Auckland on June 6.

“We are getting them all tested and isolated until a negative result is received,” the director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said.

The two positive tests ended a 24-day run without new cases and cost New Zealand its COVID-free status, sparking a blame game between the government, opposition and health department.

Ms Ardern responded by tapping assistant chief of defence Air Commodore Darryn Webb to oversee the country’s quarantine system. “It is totally unacceptable that procedures we were advised were in place were not. Our job is now to fix that and that is exactly what I intend to do,” she said.

Ms Ardern has also paused compassionate exemptions “until such time as we can guarantee a disciplined and rigorous system at the border that ministers have confidence in”.

Citizens are allowed to return to New Zealand during the pandemic but are required to quarantine for a fortnight. Protocols require testing for COVID-19 on days three and 12 of their isolation, although it is now unclear whether this has been taking place.

Dr Bloomfield has taken respon­sibility for the blunder but has not offered an apology. And the nation’s Health Minister, David Clark, has refused to resign.

“Ministers were clearly under the understanding that this was not going to happen, that people would be tested,” Mr Clark said.

“The director-general of health has owned this failing … I want ­assurances that this will never happen again.”

Mr Clark has been in hot water before after he was caught bike-riding and bushwalking in contravention of lockdown rules.

AAP