A new arrival who was permitted to attend her father's wake just one day after landing in Auckland was not tested before being granted her exemption, it has been revealed.
NZME reported the latest border blunder on Tuesday morning following the confirmation of two new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing New Zealand's active case total to nine.
The woman, who has not been identified, travelled from America for her father's wake as he had been cremated during lockdown.
Despite arriving from a COVID-19 hotspot - the country with almost 2.3 million of the world's 9 million confirmed cases - the woman was not tested prior to being released from mandatory isolation on compassionate grounds, NZME reported.
She has since been tested and returned a negative result, confirming she did not pose a risk to other guests at the wake.
The returned New Zealander confirmed to NZME she applied for the exemption on June 8, the day the country moved into alert level 1 of the COVID-19 response.
According to the outlet, she arrived on June 13 after spending nearly three months in isolation. Her application for compassionate leave was granted on the same day, and she left managed isolation on June 14 for a period of 2.5 hours. Her application was approved under the old set of exemption rules, prior to their amendment on June 9.
The original protocol permitted new arrivals to attend a loved one's funeral service if they were not presenting symptoms of the virus. This was later tightened, the Ministry of Health suspending all exemptions for funerals and tangis. However, people could still apply for leave to attend a small gathering to mourn after seven days in isolation and returning a negative test result.
She told NZME she followed the Ministry of Health's guidelines at her father's wake, donning personal protective equipment (PPE) and physically distancing herself from other attendees.
On June 16, the Government announced the suspension of all compassionate leave after two women tested positive for the virus after travelling to Wellington for a funeral. The sisters were also not tested before being released from mandatory isolation.
When questioned by the outlet, the ministry clarified that returned New Zealanders who applied for compassionate leave before the rules were tightened on June 9 could still be granted approval to attend a funeral service - even if their application was processed after that date.
It said under normal circumstances, people would be tested before being granted leave from mandatory isolation.
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that COVID-19 testing is now mandatory at managed isolation facilities. She also confirmed the launch of a new testing programme, in an effort to strengthen New Zealand's border and curb the spread of COVID-19.
Monday's announcement means it's now compulsory for individuals at managed isolation and quarantine facilities to submit to testing during their 14-day stay, and they must return a negative test result before being allowed to leave.
