New Zealand police have been enlisted to check up on people in self-isolation after some tourists refused to comply with mandatory measures.
Twenty cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in New Zealand, all of them originating from overseas arrivals into the country.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government has imposed strict self-quarantine measures on all arrivals into the country, including New Zealanders, and also asked anyone arriving before the announcement to abide by the same guidelines.
However, some travelers have refused to comply, and at least two tourists have been detained and might be deported.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health has asked police to assist with the enforcement and this week officers conducted 50 “compliance visits on a random sample group of travelers.”
The visits involve officers “sighting” those in self-isolation and asking them a series of questions about their well-being, police said in a statement.
Most people were taking the self-isolation requests seriously, police said.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) on Tuesday confirmed that two recent arrivals from south-east Asia were refusing to comply with self-isolation measures, and were now liable for deportation.
“This kind of behavior is completely irresponsible and will not be tolerated,” INZ Verification and Compliance General Manager Stephen Vaughan said.
“They are currently being quarantined. If they fail to depart after quarantine, they will be arrested and detained under the Immigration Act,” he said.
“New Zealand is going hard, and going early, to do everything it can to protect New Zealand from COVID-19 and INZ is committed to doing all it can to help protect New Zealand during this uncertain time,” he added.
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